Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These
things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right
hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden
candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and
thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which
are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are
apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And
hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake
hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I
have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left
thy first love. Remember therefore from whence
thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or
else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove
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thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the
Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that hath an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches;
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree
of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
(Revelations 2:1–7)
Jesus first gives credit to this church’s positive traits. The Church at Ephesus is a very hardworking fellowship which
has toiled long hours to keep the foundation of their church strong. This church is the example of the Apostle James quote,
“Faith without works is dead.” This was also a church which
worked twenty-four hours a day, figuring they were going to
work their way into the kingdom of heaven.
Yet herein lies a problem, works without love is dead.
A new and exciting spiritual movement already becoming
organized religion and succumbing to legalistic tendencies.
Christianity or “the way” as it was called was a very
powerful idea to many people in the beginning. Here was the
gift of life given to each believer. A way to begin anew, clear one’s slate, and make all things equal. To erase all past errors by the blood of this Messiah from Galilee.
Many believers in the beginning were increasingly excited
over this prospect of redemption and salvation.
You can’t work nor legalize your way into the kingdom,
it is a gift. As the Apostle Paul said, “You are saved by grace through faith.” He couldn’t have made it any plainer. Yet
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many of the early church were Jewish and used to a well-
structured religion, and this was a habit that was quite hard to shake. They just needed commandments and they’d follow
them to the letter. This doctrine of faith and baptism was
quite a difficult one indeed for those who needed rules and
regulations to go by. Where was the structure? Who were
the chief priests? They believed this newfound church needed organization or it would not stand.
They’ve tested those that came along claiming they were
apostles and found them lacking. I’m sure they questioned
each false teacher who came along with so-called teachings of Jesus, putting them to the test against what the true Apostles who founded this church had told them to be true of the
Lord. Remembering that those who clothe themselves in
good deeds are well camouflaged.
Paul, Philip, Bartholomew, John, and others had sweated
blood to begin this church, so the congregation compared
these newcomers to the founders and finding them unworthy.
The memory of the early church was strong in the teachings
of the chosen twelve. Like bees to honey, they clung to the
teachings of the early fathers of Christianity.
They hated the Nicolaitans. Now I am sure you are asking
yourself, what is a Nicolaitan? A Nicolaitan is one who held on to the teachings of Balaam. Okay, so now we ask ourselves who is Balaam?
I could go on and on about Balaam, but the short version
is that Balaam sabotaged the ancient Israelites by enticing
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them with prostitutes and eating “unclean” (non-kosher)
food which had been sacrificed to idols. The Israelites fell into transgression due to this, worshipping statue and stone instead of a living God. All the way back to the time of Moses until now, we’ve had a fascination with worshipping idols,
especially golden ones. Human living beings worshipping
nonliving stone and statue, it seems to me an incredible waste of time.
Idol worship and sexual immorality is the best answer
to the deeds of the Nicolaitans. Sacrificing calves to idols of Gold followed by an orgy of perversion afterward, it all seems so pagan to me.
The Church at Ephesus is a very good symbol of the
early church.
They worked extremely hard to bring about this spiritual
movement. In the beginning of the church history, there were divisions and debates between the original apostles. When
you have a powerful teacher such as Jesus who spends three
years with twelve students, you are going to have differing
perspectives on what it all means.
On one side, you have those who felt that “the way” was
just an offshoot of Judaism. The movement was called “the
way” because that is the term Jesus used, before the term
“Christian” was invented by the Romans to label this new
belief system.
The Jewish-centered apostles were centralized at Jerusalem
and were led by Jesus’s half-brother, James the Just. This sect 30 |
of early Christians included but were not limited to Simon
the Zealot, Matthew, and Jude.
These believers wanted a legalized version of Christianity.
One complete with laws of do’s and don’ts, choking the
spirit to the point where it would take it completely out of the equation. This branch of Christianity felt that since Jesus observed the Jewish holidays that the new believers should
as well.
When Jerusalem fell to the Romans in ad 70, so did
Jewish Christianity. There was no longer a central hub for
this brand of “the way.” The Jewish Christians were being
scattered to the four winds as their Jewish brothers were. A remnant remained but one without much significance.
The early Church was first getting itself established.
Besides the Jewish version of Christianity, you had the gentile version led by Paul, Peter, Luke, and others. This version was centered in Rome. The Roman Christian sect would go on
to become the dominant version of the faith throughout its
history. All were welcome into this version, one had only
to believe in the Lord and you’d be saved by grace through
faith. The reason this version of Christianity survived when others fell was its main headquarters, the city of Rome was
much stronger.
The third significant sect of early Christianity were the
Gnostics led by at first Mary Magdalene, and then Philip,
which included Thomas, and Bartholomew. This sect was
scattered abroad with no central base or organized structure
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(which would be its demise at Nicea in ad 312). This version taught that the kingdom of heaven is within you and needed
not any priests or bishops to intercede for the faithful.
All the sects, with the exception of the Gnostics, were
becoming legalistic and, by doing so, were leaving their first love. Replacing the Lamb of God with laws of papyrus. This
was the first wave of Christianity.
The twelve original followers of the Christ scattered
themselves to the four winds, preaching the good news.
Divisions began overnight due to separations among the
people they were preaching to. Twelve begat thousands more,
who were not unified in their theology.
And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write;
These things saith the first and the last, which was
dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation,
and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the
blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and
are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none
of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the
devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be
tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou
faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith
unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be
hurt of the second death. (Revelations 2:8–11)
Many translations have substituted the word Jews for mine in verse 9.
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Smyrna is the persecuted church. This congregation
didn’t have time to start becoming legalistic as the Church
of Ephesus had, it was fighting for its very life instead. They were being burned, crucified, thrown into prison, fed to the lions in the Roman Coliseum, and all sorts of calamities.
Yet the Church of Smyrna held fast. They didn’t forget
their first love as the Ephesians had, it was all they had left to hang on to. This was a church of material poverty and
spiritual richness. Smyrna is the exact opposite of the Church of Laodicea which we will get to.
The Church of Smyrna is also representative of the second
stage of the Church’s growth, which grew by the blood of
the martyrs.
From the early church history until the Roman Emperor
Constantine made Christianity the official Roman religion
in ad 312, Christians had been martyrs. Thousands had died
due to Nero blaming Christians for the fire that had engulfed a good part of Rome in ad 66. Domitian, Marcus Aurelius,
and many others had made Christians the scapegoats for
every ill Rome endured.
They were constantly going underground to escape the
wrath of a Roman emperor. Dark, negative forces hell-bent
on destroying the Church of Jesus.
At the beginning of this new spiritual movement, the
church was just trying to find its own way. It had to determine what a Christian was. Therefore, the enemy was trying to take the Holy Spirit out of it by legalizing everything. Thou shall
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do this and thou shall not do that, etc. So these negative
forces were trying to destroy it from within.
Yet the church held fast and would not waiver. So the
next step in church history was to destroy it from without.
To attack it from all sides. But this method only backfired
on the truly faithful and they clung to their master like a
newborn baby clings to its mother. No matter how brutal
and widespread the persecutions were, the church only grew
larger. Until finally, Rome decided that if you can’t beat them, join them, as the old saying goes. That is when Constantine
declared Christianity the official religion of the Empire.
The Lord had only words of encouragement for the
Church of Smyrna. He knew this church would be attacked
by his adversary. The Church of Smyrna and the second stage
of church history can best be described as brutal. Martyrs
clinging to their first love as the blood dripped to the ground by the savage beatings inflicted upon them.
As in all cases in history, one thing that the persecutions
did for Christianity was that it unified it. Unification is always the result of having a common enemy.
Yes, there were many divisions in Christianity at this time, but the one common denominator they all had was that they
were truly Christians. A Christian was a Christian in those
days from the perspective of the Roman Empire. It mattered
not what doctrine they held to, all were the enemy. The
Roman Empire did its best to stomp out Christianity, yet it
failed miserably.
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And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write;
These things saith he which hath the sharp sword
with two edges; I know thy works, and where thou
dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest
fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in
those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr,
who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. But I
have a few things against thee, because thou hast there
them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught
Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children
of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to
commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold
the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will
fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith
unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give
to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white
stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no
man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. (Revelations
2:12–17)
Interesting that this is the city where Satan has his seat.
Some have said that this is because Pergamos housed a temple to the Greek god of healing which was symbolized by a giant
snake. I’m not sure I’m buying that, but it could be the truth.
After all, a symbol of the snake is the symbol for deception all through the scriptures.
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Notice once again we have the Nicolaitans rearing their
ugly heads. So parts of this church would sacrifice animals
to idols, eat, drink, and have sex all night long. I doubt that is what Jesus had in mind when he was building his church.
The enemy figured since it worked against the Israelites,
let’s try it with the Christians.
Yet some of this church did hold fast and be faithful to the end, as Antipas, who is mentioned by name, did. Their works
were commended, and the faith of some were quite strong.
This church describes the third phase of church evolution.
After ad 312, when the Roman Emperor Constantine
declared Christianity the official state religion, martyrdom decreased. A council of Nicea was held in ad 325 and the first original canon was voted on as to what would be included
into scripture. Everything else was declared to be heretical.
This was the end for the Gnostic sect of Christianity.
Firstly, they were not invited to the party at Nicea so they had no vote as to what would be included. No Gospel of Thomas,
Philip, or Mary would make it into Canon. Many scriptures
were thus declared heretical and the Gnostic branch had to
move underground. Copies of early Gnostic scriptures were
thus burned.
Most were lost to time until 1945 in Egypt they were
found at Nag Hammadi. These would end up being called
the Gnostic gospels, and like their Jewish Christian brethren, they would end up losing out to the Roman Church who had
total rule of the Christian faith.
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Christianity would not be centered in Jerusalem,
Alexandria, Asia (Turkey), or anywhere else. Rome would
rule over the church the way it ruled over its Empire for a
thousand years. At the Council held in Nicea, the Roman
Catholic Church was thus born with all Christian power
centralized in one place.
With the exception of the Eastern Orthodox split in the
eleventh century, from the time of Nicea in the fourth century to the time of Martin Luther’s protestant reformation in the sixteenth, Rome would rule the church with an iron fist.
The enemy couldn’t defeat the church by legalizing it or
persecuting it, so it simply in time took it over from within.
And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write;
These things saith the Son of God, who hath his
eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine
brass; I know thy works, and charity, and service, and
faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last
to be more than the first. Notwithstanding I have a
few things against thee, because thou sufferest that
woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess,
to teach and to seduce my servants to commit
fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and
she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed,
and them that commit adultery with her into great
tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I
will kill her children with death; and all the churches
shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and
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hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according
to your works. But unto you I say, and unto the rest in
Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which
have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I
will put upon you none other burden.
But that which ye have already hold fast till I
come. And he that overcometh, and keepeth my
works unto the end, to him will I give power over the
nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as
the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers:
even as I received of my Father. And I will give him
the morning star. He that hath an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (Revelations
2:18–29)
Out of the first four churches, Smyrna is the only one
not condemned with worshipping idols and committing
immoral fornications.
Paganism was thoroughly mixed in with the Christian
religion and basically trying to hijack it from its very
beginnings. Idol worship was a practice for thousands of
years to many cultures and many refused to give it up. So they tore down their statues of their ancient gods and put in place crosses instead. Either way, you are worshipping dead stone.
This practice goes on to the present day. Look around you
and see all the statues that people worship. Crosses, statues of Jesus, the saints, Mary, symbols, you name it. They are all dead stone, nothing is alive in those statues that are worshipped.
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They cannot answer prayer, they cannot produce miracles, and they cannot relieve you of your suffering. They are capable of nothing. Idol worship was practiced in the beginnings of our beloved church at its infancy, and it seems as though sadly it will continue to its dying days.
The kingdom of heaven is within you! If you wish to
pray, then go within and pray to the Holy Spirit which is
within each and every one of us. Yet sadly, we turn to marble statues instead.
The source, the Holy Spirit, has been with us all along. We
don’t need any other answer than that. All the answers to all the problems of the world lie within us. It’s a gift given to us, yet we turn to anything other than ourselves.
The soul resides in all of us, if it didn’t we wouldn’t be alive.
We wouldn’t be breathing, talking, or walking. We’d be just
like that dead stone that we love to bow down to and worship.
What is better? To go within and enter the kingdom of
heaven within you or stand outside some monument and pray
for your answer there? We all have the Holy Spirit at our
disposal; that, my friends, is our true strength.
The name Jezebel comes up in this message to this church.
I believe that wasn’t her real name but a nickname as one
who acts like the Jezebel of the Old Testament. Idol worship and sexual immorality was her forte. This seems to be a
recurring theme.
Like the other churches before her, Jesus praises their
works and charity, but that isn’t enough. You can’t work your
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way to the kingdom of heaven. It’s a gift given each of us. You can only receive this from within by believing in it, nothing else. The price has been paid, all you need now to do is to
believe and be faithful unto death as the saints of Smyrna
had done.
The Church of Thyatira is symbolized as the church of the
early middle ages. The power being concentrated in Rome
and then its split with Constantinople. The church being set up like a kingdom with a figurehead on top. The kingdom
of God being replaced by the kingdom of man, the spirit
shrinking day by day.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The Christian church
of the early middle ages was concentrating all power within
itself. The masses of the people were extremely poor yet the church was becoming quite wealthy.
The church was becoming very large and extravagant
buildings instead of the people who went to those buildings.
Once again, we were worshipping dead stone instead of those
that house the Holy Spirit. It’s a sad state of affairs when we are more concerned about the buildings we worship at rather
than those who do the worshipping.
Legalism runs amok with rules galore. Any one of them
will get you excommunicated. As if Jesus would ever turn a
wanting believer away, do you believe he would? I don’t and
never will.
Hell, heaven, purgatory, limbo, mortal sin, venial sin,
unctions, confession, the list of rules were endless.
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But wait, you could purchase your way to heaven through
indulgences! Can you think of anything more corrupt than
that? Selling a free gift that had been given to us by the blood of Jesus? I can only imagine what the Lord Jesus think of
these indulgences. I doubt he died on the cross so that others could profit from it.
The enemy had by now complete and total control of
Christ’s church, but wait, it would only get worse before it got better.