Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

I Know Thy Works Pt. 4

In His presence, amen? We'll be fellowshipping around the Lord's Table tonight so come prepared and just enjoy the presence of the Lord. Don't you love communion time? You know every day is fellowship with Him, but just a special time in recognizing His broken body, and we encourage you to come prepared, and seeking His face. One quick announcement before we get into the study. The Lord's directed us to do something a little different this summer than we were originally planning to do. The missions' trip is changing. We're not going to St. Kitts this year. We're in fact, going to four of the satellite churches and excited about that. We're going to put together two separate teams and we'll be going into the Washington, DC area to work. We're going to be in Richmond working with Robbie there. We're going to be in Baltimore with Tony and we're going to be in Maine and so it's going to be a great time, and those of you that were wanting to go to a third world country, we will be going to Maine. That's something that we can reach out to. Now all of the details you'll be finding out at a later date, its going to be on March 21 there will be a meeting at 7:30. Everyone interested in going this year on the missions' trip you say, "I've already signed up," there's going to be a few changes, we know that so we want you sign up again. This sheet's a little hard to find, but you might be able to find it out there, I guess both of the foyers. Grab a hold of those and sign up. It's going to be a tremendous time.

In addition to these particular outreaches, we're going to be putting together a team to go to Buffalo. Now, we don't know if we're going to go late summer, early fall, but we're going to "shuffle off to Buffalo" and those are for the older people. The Lord's directing us to start a church there so we're going to take a team up. We're going to be on the streets and doing some ministry there, holding some meetings, and looking forward to that particular time. We've sown so many hours into Buffalo over the last years that we really feel that we're going to go and a small remnant there, we believe, to reach. They're on our hearts so we're going to be obedient to what the Spirit of God's leading us to do. So that's another project for this summer so it's going to be exciting, plenty of things to do, and you notice we're going to Buffalo in the summer or early fall. We ask you to begin to pray about all of these different things. As far as the missions' trip requirements, some of the youth, as you know, to graduate from Calvary Temple School, the youth have to go on a missions' trip. Those requirements will be met; in this particular outreach they'll be extending their stay. Some of you, the way we're doing this, some of you can get away for four or five days and sign up for one aspect of the trip, and we're going to work with that. The young people will be on a longer time; in fact, they're going to be doing some resident training in Baltimore, and they'll be living in the facilities in Baltimore, working there, some of the young people, and it will be a good opportunity for them to experience another world. That's part of what these mission trips are about for our young people. That's why we've taken all of the trips to Third World nations, to see that there is another side where people are living; but they love God, they need God, and it's a tremendous education.

Let's turn to the book of Revelation. We want to continue with our study, and I trust that you've been studying in preparation for these meetings, preparing your minds as you're reading over these passages in Revelation 2 and 3, making yourselves familiar with the churches. The Spirit of God's been emphasizing a number of different aspects to us out of the book of Revelation about the churches. Now we find a totally unique church, totally different from those churches that we've been studying, who were churches of prominence both economically, politically, socially. We saw that they were the academic centers of the world. It was a tremendous library that Pergamos had, we saw, only second to that of Alexandria, of Egypt. We saw the great temples that were studied in Ephesus, and we saw the seed of learning that was there, many of the different aspects. As we went to Smyrna, we saw that even in the midst of all of the affluence of Smyrna that the church was being persecuted there, and being isolated, and because of that, experiencing poverty and martyrdom, many of the different aspects. These were all key population centers. Now we come to Thyatira. It's a city that was very small, it was very obscure; it was virtually good for nothing, if you please. It was almost indefensible. It was out in a plain, there was no way that they could protect themselves from the enemy. It was probably a military outpost. It was there not to stop the invasions, but to sight the invasions, be destroyed in trying to slow the enemy down as they were coming into the major population areas.

This will give you a little of a feel for where they are, and yet at the same time, the church of Thyatira is experiencing great growth. We could even say in the terms of twentieth century, and catch the handle I'm putting on this, "Christianity", twentieth century Christianity, that they were having a revival. The church was growing. The church was involved in social outreach. As Jesus speaks to this church He said, "I know your works, and I know your faith, and I know your patience, and I know your works here at the latter end to be even greater than those that preceded." He's talking about the involvement of the body of Christ in doing things that are right. Now I want you to grab this. They're doing things that are right for the wrong purpose. That's what this letter's all about. They're doing things that are right with the wrong motives and by the wrong methods. Okay. It's very important to grab a hold of this. Now what about the church of Thyatira? What did they have to offer? As we said, they were obscure as far as the population went. The only thing that was there was one aspect of commerce to where they had certain guilds of that that Lydia, you remember? How many of you remember who Lydia was? The seller of purple in the city of Philippi where Paul ran into her there. Philippi is not that far from where we're talking here in Thyatira as you go around the northern end into Macedonia, into Philippi, it's not that big of a journey. Here was Lydia, a seller of purple, and this purple would come out of all of the looms, and all of the weaving that took place here in Thyatira. Now Thyatira, the thing that was interesting here was this however, because of that, it was a closed society. The closest thing we would have to it today is super strong unions, okay? Are you all beginning to catch a little bit of a feeling what's going on? It's small, but it's a closed society. If you didn't belong, you didn't belong. It's very important, then, to see the spirit of this as we get ready to read this letter. Because what's happening here with the prophetess Jezebel is this, she's bringing a message that goes this way, "We know that you've been bought with a price. We know that the Word teaches to come out from among them and be separate, but that's for the rest of the church, because we have a unique situation here, and if you're going to make it, you're going to have to compromise." That's the message that's going on. "If you're going to succeed in Thyatira, you're going to have to be a little worldly. You're going to have to socialize with them just a little bit. Now, we don't want you to get drunk, but you need to go to the union parties and tip back a couple to show that you're not judging them, because if you don't, your livelihood is at stake. If we're going to continue to be affective in this ministry that's going on right now, our great rival of growth, if we're going to keep adding to our numbers, we can't offend the world. In fact, what we need to do is take the gospel and dress it up in the world's clothes." Is it sounding familiar at all yet? Is it beginning to sound familiar with what's going on in many of our churches today?

I was just talking to a friend out in California. He said that they were getting ready to do this last Christmas pageant, and they were getting ready to do their Christmas pageant, and in the process what they were doing was, they spent I believe it was $40,000 on putting together a Christmas pageant. Then they charged the people seven bucks a head to come, or whatever it was, in the community, and they were going to reach them with the gospel. But every year you have to put on a bigger pageant, and every year it has to become a little more worldly, and after all, now we even find things like, I saw advertised in one of our churches here locally, I won't mention the name of it, that's going to put on, and does put on a large event during Christmas and Easter, and they're putting on this great production, and they were so proud in their church newspaper as they sent it out to say, "And we have professionals that are going to come and make the presentation of the gospel." We've got to make the gospel worldly so it can be accepted. Now that's the message here. Remember what we're doing as we study these seven churches. Why are we studying them? For self-analysis. We're studying them so that when we're done we can hear, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." That's the method. We're looking to apply these things to our lives individually.

Now let's get to the church, you'll see a couple of interesting things. You'll see the spirit that many of us battle in our own lives. As these are a people, as I said, that were in a remote location. These were a people that were not considered the elite of their society, their day. It's a city of obscurity. It's a city, remember we said, that was indefensible from the world's powers. It didn't matter who it was. When Greece blew through, they devastated the place. When the Romans came in, they devastated the place. They were indefensible. They were almost like Italy during the war. You remember Italy? They just practically sewed a flag together with one on each side. Whoever came into town, they'd hold that up and say, "Yeah, we're your friends, man! Glory! Here come the Americans! Here come the Germans! Glad to have you guys in town!" This was part of what was taking place during the war. They were very similar to that, whoever wanted to take them over, took them. You know, three Cub Scouts and a one-eyed dog, and they'd come in and take the place over, right? This is part of the spirit. Now listen to what he says. Because of that, they were always compromising with whoever was in power. But what's the final statement that he makes here? "And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: [Powerful. Do you think that's blowing these people away? He said if you do it my way, you'll rule the nations.] And he shall rule them with a rod of iron;" (Revelation 3:26-27) What a distinction! There's the world's way, there's the way you've always done it in the flesh, there's the way of compromise that will keep you impotent, or there's the way of faith that will make you overcomers, and absolutely, absolutely invincible by the greater One that lives inside of you, amen? That's the distinction. There's two ways to walk this thing out, beloved: you can walk it out in the flesh, you can walk it by the world's wisdom; or you can walk in faith and be victorious.

Let's read this and see what he's saying. Revelation, Chapter 2, verse 18, "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; [being killed with death is bad] and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and the 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, [grab it] and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; [Now I want you to see what this worldly doctrine is called by the Holy Spirit: the depth of Satan. There is no more damnable heresy than teaching the church that we need to compromise with the world to make the gospel palatable. He said, "That mentality, that doctrine, takes you into the depths of Satan, the angel of light." It's very important to grab this spirit that's being addressed here. And he said] I will put upon you none other burden [we'll talk about this later. It's a statement that refers back to what was determined in Jerusalem in Acts the fifteenth chapter. You remember what they were determining in Acts the fifteenth chapter was this: what do we gentile Christians do as it relates to many of the social customs that we had before, and how does it relate to the law, and to the Judaizers who are trying to bring us under the letter of the law? Isn't there a liberty? And the answer of the counsel of Jerusalem was, "Yes, there is a liberty, but it ends here. You cannot do these things." Okay? We'll talk about what those are as we go into the study. He said, "I'll lay upon you no other burden then that that's already been put upon us by the Spirit of God."] But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, [my work, 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." Longest letter to all of the churches. What is it that's trying to be spoken here? What are we trying to find out? Go back and look at the first part of this letter, and it's very interesting. For the first time He presents Himself as the Son of God. He says, "This is the Son of God speaking to you." Now that ought to get your attention, wouldn't you think? As He's speaking to them it says He's the Son of God whose eyes are as fire. The Son of God, He who's able to look into the inner most recesses of every one of our hearts. The Living Word who has the capacity to do the same thing that Hebrews says the written word can do: discern the thoughts, and the intentions of every one of our hearts (Hebrews 4:12). He said, "I see your works and I see that you're even increasing in works, and I don't want to discourage what you're doing, but I want you to understand something, I know your motives." Okay? "And I know that what's giving you the impetus to do this is the doctrine of Jezebel. I'm opposing the power, the machinery, that you're using to bring forth this gospel message." Now if there's anything that's relevant to our day, this message this morning is relevant to our day. Hear what the Spirit says to the church. Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.

As we look here, and we see the great eyes of fire burning into the hearts of these people, we could spend a lot of time-and I'm not going to take it, we don't have it-to show you the scriptural passages of God's knowledge of our innermost thoughts, the recesses of our heart. How His eyes are able to pierce and divide asunder between the thoughts and the intentions. Jeremiah, the prophet spoke it very clearly in the sixteenth chapter where, "His eyes are upon all of our ways," he said. He said, "I know them all" (Jeremiah 16:17), Interesting what Job 14 said. He said, "You watch over and know all of my sin as you look into the recesses of my heart" (Job 14:16). We see that this is one of the aspects of the Son of God, as He's looking to His church; not superficially, He's examining the innermost of all of our activities. Are people doing that in our society today or is there a very superficial look at the church and just looking at what's going on and saying, "Praise God! That's a great work they're doing." "What do you mean?" "They're feeding the hungry. They're clothing the naked." How many of you those things should be done? "Look what they're doing. They're down there and they're providing housing for the homeless, and they've got a youth group, and young adults, and they've got all of the different activities. They have a Christian school going on. Home fellowship group meetings that are taking place. Whatever anybody needs, it's being ministered to. Every need is being met." This is what the church here in Thyatira was doing. He stands and says, "I understand your works, but as the Son of God, He that has the eyes of fire, I'm looking into the motives behind this, and I have some things against you. Because you suffer that woman Jezebel, (we're going to talk about Jezebel a little bit), to teach, (now get it), to teach (that's the key). This woman is being allowed to indoctrinate, and in doing so, to seduce. The teaching, seducing, My servants to commit fornication and to eat things offered to idols."

Is that specifically what the apostles in Acts 15 said they couldn't do? Yes. She's teaching 180 degrees from the pure doctrine of the church. Now what's giving her the authority to do this? She's a prophetess, "got a word from the Lord, the deep things of God." There's one thing that stood out very, very prominently among the Gnostics teaching, in that mysticism that they moved in. They were this kind of a person, somebody would come up and share this revelation, and you know what their response was, "Deep man, that's deep." That's the phrase they would use. We use it today, don't we? "Whoa, that's deep, man." Can I tell you something this morning? You cannot go deeper than the Word of God. Amen? This is deep as it gets. Deep calleth unto deep. This is it. But see what was happening was this: this prophetess, (and can I point this out?), nobody else called her a prophetess, she gave herself the title, "...which calleth herself." Can I tell you something? You're not a prophet if God doesn't call you one. Amen? You may think you are, you may even have a few friends who stand around and think you are, but God holds the credentials. God does the ordaining. God does the gifting. God is the one that puts the Word in the prophet's mouth and lets it drop forth, and bring life to the people. And the word that comes from the Spirit of God, agrees with the Word of God. Amen? And anybody that brings another gospel, Paul said, "Let them be damned to hell, anathema" (Galatians 1:8-9). It's very important to see this about this woman Jezebel.

Now there's an interesting argument among scholars as to what's going on here in the phrasing of the language. Here's the way I really believe this: this woman, Jezebel, look how it phrases it, it says, "And you suffer, or allow, that woman Jezebel, which is calling herself a prophetess, to teach." Who's he writing to? The church. But, who specifically? The pastor. You want to know what he's saying here? He's saying, "Pastor, you're allowing your wife, Jezebel-this is the pastor's wife. This is the woman who'd been set up into a position of prominence by relationship to the gift of the church. Does that correlate with the actual account of Jezebel? Jezebel, as you know, was related to King Ahab, by marriage. In fact, let me show you a couple of things about the spirit. This woman's name, I do not believe was literally Jezebel. It was probably Sally or something like that. But anyway, we realize that he's speaking the typology here to give us an understanding of the spirit that's being dominant here. Turn to 1 Kings and let's first find out a little bit about Jezebel so that you can transfer the spirit of this woman over into this self-proclaimed prophetess of Thyatira. I'm going to bring the spirit into our day. In 1 Kings, Chapter 21, we know a few things about Jezebel to this point. We know how she put Elijah on the trail into his bout of self-pity, and many of these different things. We're going to find out the spirit of her in Verse 23, as the prophet speaks and says, "And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. [She wasn't going to be buried, the dogs were just going to eat her there along the wall.] Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat. But there was none [and this statement is made numerous times about Ahab. I want you to see this.] But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord. [This is an evil dude, man. Numerous times the Scriptures speak about Ahab in this way. What was it that made him so evil? The idolatry. The idolatry. The relating to the world's methods of worship, instead of separation to the holiness of God. But Jezebel and her accompanying Ahab, look at the last phrase there], which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord whom Jezebel his wife [what?] stirred up. [Here we've got Jezebel; one thing we learn about her is she stirs things up. She's the one that introduced Ahab to these idols in the first place. Ahab then, in his pursuit, became drunken spiritually and literally in his relationship with all of these gods who the primary motive was, and remember what these gods were, they were gods of fertility. They were not only gods of physical, sexual fertility, they were gods that brought in the harvest, the gods of the rain, the gods of the abundance, and peace, and all of these different things, and each god, of course, had his function. Ahab then, being introduced, became intoxicated and began to make this perversion exceeding in the nation.] And he did very abominably in following idols," verse 26 says.

We begin to see the magnitude of what this Jezebel had stirred up. We can find a little bit as to her demise in 2 Kings, if you want to look over there real quickly, the ninth chapter. Verse 30 says, "And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face." Now how many of you knew the one about Jezebel you knew was she painted her face? For years all the women who wore makeup were called Jezebels, right? This is the verse they talk about here. The Pentecostal churches, of course, very much against painting your face. Those of us that grew up around that are very aware it, and I can still remember back, many of the ladies in the church who didn't do anything but just put some white powder on and that was it, and it looked they had been embalmed. But that was holiness. The thing you didn't want to do was paint your face. It was a sin to wear lipstick. Hey, we're not talking mascara, blushes, whatever this multi-billion dollar business is. I can't think of all the products, but anyway, we're not talking about all of that stuff, we're talking just a little bit of lipstick. The painting of your face was sin. This is where they got that from. I agree with the man who said, "If the barn needs painting, paint it!" praise God! We realize that she painted her face. Now why am I alluding to this? It's very interesting. She painted her face and did something. What did she do? "...and looked out at a window." She sat in the window. Why do you sit in the window? To be seen. She's a seductress. She's wanting to draw attention to herself. She's wanting to use the wiles that Satan had perfected in her to entice the men of God, and she was successful, but she ran into a fast-driving Jehu. "...he driveth furiously." (2 Kings 9:20) Just thought I'd throw that out there. There's a lot there that you can learn from people. "And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: [You see, she couldn't grin her way out of this one. That little smile and the batting of the eyes, she needed bigger eyelashes to fly. She was going down, verse 33.] So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and [he said, "Whoops!" and ran over her, and it says] and he trode her under foot. [And knowing the guy, he probably backed up.] And when he was come in, he did eat, and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king's daughter. And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. ...This is the word of the Lord, [was fulfilled] saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel:"

The word of the Lord's true, isn't it? Now he's going to speak about another Jezebel, and He's going to make another prophecy, and it's going to come to pass just as literally as this one did, and you need to see it, and it's addressing the Jezebel of our day. Go back to Revelation and let's pick this thing up. We see that this was a woman put in prominence because of the relationship to the king. This woman, in the book of Revelation, is a woman put into prominence because of her relationship with the spiritual leaders. A woman recognized because of relating to spiritual leaders. A woman who now began to perceive herself and call herself a prophetess, and teach, and seduce the servants to commit fornication. We're talking about literal and spiritual fornication and adultery. That seduction that says, "Look, if we are going to make it here, and make an impression upon this city, we're going to have to reach them through this methodology: compromise." "And I gave her a space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not". She knew what was necessary. The Word of the Lord came to her on numerous occasions that said, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you." (2 Corinthians 6:17) "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world." (1 John 2:15) You see, John has spoken clearly concerning this dilemma in his epistles. It's very important for us to realize that that message of John had been being preached. His combating of this Gnostic spirit was very well known. They had the opportunity to repent, but they chose [against it], in fact, denied the Word of the Lord to receive the favor of the world. That's what I want us to see.

Go over to John 15. Look what the Spirit of God says here again through the apostle in John 15. This passage I think we're all pretty familiar with. Beginning at verse 18 he makes this comment. He said, "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would [what?] love his own:" Now we're talking about methods, listen, of promoting the gospel that the world endorses. The world says, "You know, that's a good idea! That will really work! This is what you need to do to bring us truth." Are we experiencing that today? How many of you are out sharing the gospel, and even in the midst of testifying and sharing the gospel with somebody, in the conversation, they try to tell you how to share the gospel with them. How many of you have run into that spirit? What they're saying basically is, "Look, if you'll do it this way, I'll come closer to hearing what you have to say. But what you're saying to me is offensive. Don't use the name Jesus. Use the word Lord, God, Supreme Being, nebulous deity, but don't use the name of Jesus. It's offensive." Isn't that what they tell us today in our schools? Even the schools that still allow you to pray at some of the functions, you can't use the name of Jesus. You can't even use the name "Lord." "God" is about as far as you can go. Grab it in the spirit of the world today, it's there. I'm going to try to show you some of the practical understandings of what's happening. But look, he said, "If the world loves you, accepts you," (don't miss the simplicity of this, don't miss the magnitude of what he's saying here by its simplicity), he said, "You're of the world if they accept you. If they embrace your methodology, you're of them, you're not of God." Watch what he says. Check it out. "...but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." If the methods you're using causes them to hate you, what's the good news? You're chosen of God. He's chosen you out of the world. There's not a thing that the world can recognize in me that they can say, "You know what? I think we have something to work with here." What did they say about Jesus? The devil had nothing in him. There was nothing he could get a hold of in his life. If we become so free from the world's methodology that the world says, "We have nothing in common with them, there's not even place to come in and take root to where we can seduce them." we're going to hear, "Well done!" We're going to rule with a rod of iron. Otherwise, we will be ruled. How are they doing it today? They're doing it through taxes. They're doing it through the IRS system. "You want to stay tax exempt, you're going to have to do it this way." Can I tell you something? Many of you that are giving right now and you're able to write it off your taxes, I want to tell you something: the day's coming very soon when you're not going to be able to write this off your taxes anymore. Now, I know the majority of us in here, it will make no difference. We enjoy the benefit, praise God. But I want you to know that the people that are being dictated to by finances, by money, by the world's methodology, that makes a big difference, and they hold it over the churches today. And they say, "If you do this, we're going to take away your tax exemption." We've had it threatened to us here. In years past I told you, we received some different letters, and it was interesting, they were trying to pressure us at that time. They were telling us that in our Christian school, we had to allow atheists to teach. Yes, if an atheist applied for an application, you couldn't turn them down because they're atheists; it's discrimination. I wrote back, I said, "We discriminate against a lot of people." "We'll take your tax exemption." "Take it! Hope you choke on it. You're not going to dictate the ministry of the gospel. We are not dependent upon that." Listen to me, folks. Listen to what the Spirit said, "I see your works, I know that what you're doing now is greater than what you did in the beginning." Why is it greater? Because it's being subsidized by the government!

Let's put together a housing complex, and the government will subsidize it. It's the ministry of the church, and you begin to get into bed with, you all heard that term? What did we see was going to happen to Jezebel? God was going to put her in bed with the world. He said, "You want to play with the world's system, I'll put you in bed with the world. I'll absolutely cause them to be drunk in their fornication with you, and you, overcome by the involvement, and I want to tell you something. I'm not going to destroy you." Get this down. I want to set forth something for you that's going to absolutely boggle your mind as to the work of God in these last days. Listen to what He says to Jezebel, to the perverted spiritual leaders of our day. Many of us would seem to think, "God's going to judge them; God's going to kill them." I want to relate it, if you would for just a moment, to the Catholic Church, of whom I do not believe they are the whore of Revelation. I think they're a big part of it, but they're not all there is to it. The whore is who? The apostate religious system. Now don't you see the contrast between Jezebel and the whore of Revelation? Now catch this, and I want you to see something. He said, "I'm not going to judge the whore with death. I'm going to leave her in business. I'm going to let the apostate religious systems continue to thrive. I'm going to cast her into a bed that is readily accessible to whoever wants to come. [Now watch.] But I will kill her children, [number one], those who involve themselves with her, [these organized religions], I'm going to let the church go on." People are going to look and say, "There's nothing wrong with that. It's still surviving, it's still thriving. It must be the blessings of the Lord. Look! It's continuing on." God said, "I'm going to let it continue on, but I'm going to kill those people that are the offspring." Then he passes another judgment, and he says, "And those that do not oppose her, I will put them into great tribulation." So you're either part of it, you're tolerating it [or you're not]; it's becoming prominent in our day.

I've talked to a number of pastors here just recently, in this location, in a 10-mile radius, and they're reaching out to do some great ministry, with the help of the government. And the government dictates who and who can't frequent the activities. It's the spirit of Jezebel. And the reasoning of these men is this: they've turned this thing around, and you talk about perversion, they try to put it off on Paul where he said, "We became all things to all men that we might win some" (1 Corinthians 9:22). Paul never compromised the gospel to win anybody. Paul would humble himself. Paul would not oppose for the strict sense of just opposing to bring conflict, but he was very, very convinced in the narrow gospel to be preached. Jezebel here was broadening the way that led to destruction. Now watch what it goes on to say, and I'm going to put down one other thing, and then see if we can get into a few of the specifics. I'm trying to give you these general principles, and there's a lot here. I'll cast her into bed, verse 22. I will kill her children, verse 23. Now watch. Why is he going to do this? Look at it. "And all the [true] churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins [that word reins means the innermost recesses. It literally means kidneys. You know the kidneys (really the bowels) the kidneys or the bowels we're talking about, and it's the innermost recesses that they're speaking toward here. The source of all that we are, think.] and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works." [I want the church to know that it's totally unique, separate, that you do not need in any way to associate with the world's system to be successful. You do not have to join the unions of Thyatira.]

Now here's what was being said, "Look, most of what's going on today in the religions, these people are not that devout anyway, and when we come together, and the meetings started off with a prayer to one of these deities, and they offer the first portion of the meat up to it, and the rest to us, it doesn't mean anything. Just go in there, sit down, shut up, and get your paycheck. You don't need to oppose." And that's the question here. It's the question of Corinthians. How do we relate to the world? How do we involve ourselves, while still on this earth, and still remain pure? That's the problem. That's what they're trying to ask here in Thyatira. Go back to John 15. How many of you are asking that question today? It's the same question. Now what are the extremes? A monastic approach: "I'm going to get my wife and my two kids, and we're going to go out here in the dessert. We're going to find some place, and we're going to hide out so that the world can't touch us, because the world's evil!" Okay? Well, Jesus speaks here in John 15, and He said, "...I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will also keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me" (Verses 19-21). Now he's implying that they're going to be among these people. There's nothing here about literal separation; it's a spiritual separation. It's a philosophical separation. It's very important to understand that as we continue to deal in this world system, the one thing we can expect from them is what? Hatred. Persecution. You're never going to be walking in the spirit and receive anything else. If you're being embraced on the job, if they think you're the greatest thing there is at work, can I tell you something? They don't know who you are, or maybe you don't know who you are. Now, don't misunderstand me. I'm not talking about twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week that they hate you, but they're going to be talking behind your back. Oh, they'll come to you when they think they can manipulate you, and use you. They'll call on you because of your work ethic. They'll call on you when they've got that terrible headache, and want you to pray for them. They'll ask you what to do when their husband beats them and their kids are on drugs, but they won't receive any of your counsel.

Romans says, "Professing themselves to be wise, they became [what?] fools". (Romans 1:22) Corinthians says, "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God." (1 Corinthians 3:19) And yet the prophetess of Thyatira says, "No, no, no, no! The problem here is that we've offended them with the purity of this message. If we dilute it, if we begin to fellowship with them, and they can see that we're just common folk like them. If we can have the same emphasis that they do on man's humanity toward man, then we're going to be able to influence them with this gospel." Is that the spirit of what God has intended for His people? Turn back to the book of Deuteronomy for just a moment, and let me show you something. Deuteronomy 7. What is this doctrine of Jezebel? Compromise. What is it called? The depths of Satan. Now, you know a lot of people think that when we're talking about the depths of Satan, we're talking about the debauchery that's going on in these temple meetings. I don't believe that's what he's talking about. We know that involved in all of this idolatry was sexual promiscuity. The two go hand-in-hand. These idolatrous feasts were nothing more than orgies that were taking place. Jezebel's saying, "Look, go on down there, but just don't participate. Eat a little bit of meat, drink a little bit of wine." And the Gnostic mentality is what? "And if you do get a little carried away, 1 John 1:9, because after all, the real you is the spirit man, the inner man. Your flesh, as we know, is evil anyway. That's these deep things of God." You see, the Gnostics began to realize, at that time, that there should be a metaphysical approach. We saw the different mandates between Cerenthus and Docetes, and some of the others, as they said that the physical body being matter was evil in its nature anyway, it was going to pass away, and all that mattered was how pure your heart is, and your actions can do anything they want. You could involve yourself in adultery, and drunkenness, and then come to God, and realize that that in itself is not going to be held under judgment. It has to do with whether inwardly your motives and your intentions are toward good. John writes and combats that in the first epistle. He says, "He that doeth righteousness is righteous." (1 John 3:7) Not he that professes it, not he that says he's in pursuit of it. "He that doeth righteousness is righteous."

With all of that in the mentality, go to seven of Deuteronomy, and look what he says here. Here's how you relate to the world, Verse 2, "And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:" Nice, holy way to act, isn't it? You know what? The little book that's been written, it's not been published, but it's been written, because most people I've run into have read it. I can tell by the way they act, Christianity, According to the Heathen. You know, where they want to tell you how to live, what Christians should do. You reprove them for sin and they say, "Christians don't act that way." How many of you have ever run into that? "Well, that's not very Christian." "You mean calling you a snake? It's very Christian!" Amen? "I'm just doing what my Master did." You need to see it for what it is, beloved, but the world is setting it's own standards for what they will or will not accept, and if we want to be accepted of the world, if we want to be successful by their standards, if we want our church to grow, and be embraced by society, then just tune it down a little bit. That's the spirit of Thyatira. That's the spirit of Jezebel. That's the deep things of Satan.

He says in the fourth verse, "For they will turn away thy son from following me." [I want to tell you something. If you embrace them, if you allow yourself to partake of them, they will kill your kids. "Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; [verse 3 says] ...that they may serve other gods: [verse 4] so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly." What's being said here? You kill them, or God's going to kill you! Is that what John's saying in Revelation? Same spirit. He said, "I'll send you into great tribulation." If you do not oppose them, let me tell you what's going to happen. You will commit adultery with her, and God will send you into great tribulation. Her children are those, (Listen!) her children are those who have imbibed her spirit, and are partaking on a consistent basis of that lifestyle. The others are those who periodically fall into this adultery. Because they refuse to reject it, they periodically involve themselves with it. He said, "I'm going to send you into great tribulation." But to those who overcome, remember, what was the motivation behind all this? Either do it, or you can't succeed in this town. Do it, you'll never make it in this society. Compromise to succeed and the spirit of this thing is what? If you don't compromise, I'll let you rule the nations. I've told you, and you saw it in the spirit of the other churches, it's coming in this nation real soon. The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave is going to become a nation that outlaws Christianity. Do you want to know what's interesting? Do you know that if you would step back right now, and look from a political perspective, how many of you have seen? If you'd step back and look at an overview right now; things appear to be getting better, don't they?-from a political standpoint.

I just read in the newspaper yesterday. I don't get a newspaper. One shows up down here in the conference room every once in awhile, and I looked at the thing, and you know what? Californians are even starting to get the clue. How many of you know that's a miracle? They're finally getting ready to do away with that idiotic, bilingual education in the state. They've sat there and they've thought, "You know, this is stupid. If you're going to live here, learn English." How many of you think that might be a good idea? No other nation that stupid. They're reforming the welfare system; Lord knows that needs help! We see different aspects, and I won't get into all the political things, but you can look back and think, "There're some things that people seem to be getting a little bit of common sense back." Things seem to be-I mean, really, punish criminals now. Wow! You know, that's not a bad idea! There's no hope. I don't want to give you any false hope. I'm going to share with you that this isn't going to work, but anyway, the solutions are too simple. Congress is debating today about trying to appropriate money for prisons. I just drove by my home town. I can't even tell you the thousands of acres, thousands, and thousands, and thousands, and thousands, and thousands of acres in Fort Ord. They shut it down. The government said, "We've got to shut it down." Totally full of schools, housing, hospitals, make the greatest minimum security prison you ever saw. We could take 70% of the prison's population of minimum security, and put them in one of these military posts. The fences are there, the houses are there, the kitchens are there. Leave a couple of tanks. Don't appropriate money to build more. You could round up every homeless person in America and house them in that one place. The thing is, most of the homeless don't want a place to stay. All I'm showing is the supernatural insanity of our nation's leaders. We all know what the bottom line is, don't we? It's all money. It's the way the government operates. How many of you have worked for the government and they gave you your budget for the year, and you thought, "Dear God, we've got to spend this stuff, or we won't be able to get our budget for next year." So you buy all the new stuff and you give it away, or throw it away.

How did we get off over there? The world; dealing with the world. They're insane. Kill them, or they're going to kill you. They're going to suck you up into their methodology. I believe with all of my heart, what I shared with you, that what took place in Pergamos is very, very near to where all other religions are going to be embraced and Christianity outlawed. That day will come in this nation. You may not believe it, you may not see it coming, it will. "For they will turn away your sons from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you,..." We're going to end with verse 5, "But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. For thou art an holy people..." Now beloved, if we approach this any different way than John 15's perspective of the world, then Deuteronomy 7's mandate as to how we're to deal with the nations of the world, if we approach it any other way, then we become the tail and not the head, and it was never the covenant promise that was made to us. The children that went into bondage, I did not say that we have to rule through politics or economics, we will rule with weapons that are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. We will be ten times wiser, even in our captivity, than anything the world system can produce. And if for a moment we experience persecution, God is in the process of bringing us out, praise God! You're going to find that the common denominator of these churches was this: death to self, death to self. To the different degrees where some became martyrs, and Jezebel, and the great whore were made drunk by the blood of the martyrs. This religious people will hate you with such a fervency, that you see compounded in the book of Revelation, that when the true, genuine prophets were finally removed from them, they threw a world-wide party. They don't want to hear the Word of God. Timothy says they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. They will not endure sound doctrine. This spirit of Jezebel, beloved, grab a hold of it, is not just the lascivious living, the orgies; it's the depths of Satan, the angel of light that came among them and said, "Look, what we're doing is good. This is a good program. These intentions are great, and in fact, the world appreciates what we're doing, and our numbers are growing, and we have more finances to do more things." That's where we live today, in twentieth century America. John said, "I'm going to lay no greater burden on you then that you've already received." Read Acts 15. I don't have time to go over there, but you can't keep your current, worldly lifestyle and be accepted of God.

Father, we thank You for Your Word. We ask that as we continue to survey these churches that we would find ourselves. We look around us and we see the hour is upon us. But You're not telling us for the purpose of judging others; You're telling us for the purpose of judging ourselves. What do we as a church hear when we read the message to Thyatira? Help us to help others. Give us a love for the lost and the broken; the halt and the maim. Help us to serve, but not in our own strength, and not in the world's methods, but to serve from the power of a risen Christ. Help us to serve in the spirit of the supernatural, and if what we're desiring to effect cannot be effected in the spirit, then we won't do it at all. If You can't pay for it, it's not going to get done, because You'll support Your people. In the transition from worldly bondage of Egypt into the promise land, You provided their food, it was manna. You kept their clothes from wearing out, and You kept them from being sick, there wasn't even a feeble one among them. As we approach these last days, and the compounding of new diseases, the fact that much of the medication no longer is affecting itself naturally against the enemies of disease and sickness. Let our eyes turn back to You, Lord, the Balm of Gilead, the one who by Your stripes has healed us. Help us to return to the simplicity of faith that says, "If God's for me, nobody can be against me." To turn our eyes upon You Who alone supplies our help in the time of need. Father, as we meditate on the church of Thyatira, the self-proclaimed insight, I have a word from the Lord, God will allow this when the Word speaks directly contrary, "But look how personable they are. Look how loving they are. Look how philanthropic they are. These must be people of God, self-proclaimed Messiahs and prophets." But it's another gospel; let them be anathema. Father, it's not a trivial thing, because those who embrace it will go into great tribulation, and those of us who reject it will rule with a rod of iron. What's your choice? There's set before you this day life and death. There's an easy way. There's an easy way. There's a palatable way. There's a way that the masses will embrace. It's the way of destruction. Let him that has ears hear what the spirit says to the church. Let's stand before the Lord this morning.

As Gary plays and we take these principles, entwine them with Smyrna, Ephesus, Pergamos, the message begins to be very clear, doesn't it? Number one, Satan's attack on you is multi-faceted. Each church was attacked in a different way. Don't be ignorant of his devices. Each one of us in here, battling with different areas: personal relationships, our vocations, our flesh. It's not easy to go to work and be the odd man out, is it? There's nothing says it's easy. The Bible doesn't say it's easy. The Bible doesn't say, "If you're saved and filled with the Holy Ghost, it's easy." It said, "Those that endure till the end shall be saved." It's not easy, it's hard. It's hard when people hate you. It's hard when they say all manner of evil against you. The Bible says to bless them. It says to pray for them. It says to love them. I didn't say it's easy. You're no different than anybody else. If you overcome, He'll give you the privilege of ruling the nations. Remember, He spoke to a people that were always ruled, always under authority, always, always influenced by national powers, the world system, if you please. He said, "There is a victory, there's a deliverance." The spirit of the world no longer has to rule you; you can rule it, thank God! We're going to sing this together as we meditate on these things. If you have a need this morning, come let us pray for you. Let's just worship the Lord together. As Gary plays and our hearts are turned to the wisdom that the Spirit of God's spoken. "Pastor, isn't it just another way of doing things?" No, it's the depths of Satan. If any other gospel's being preached, it's anathema. You can't add to it, and you can't take away from it. You have to preach the whole thing. You have to preach grace, but you have to preach works. We have to preach longsuffering, and gentleness, and kindness, and we have to preach reproving, and rebuking, and judging. You have to preach, "Come out from among them, be separate," and you have to preach, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel." You have to preach, "I'm the head, and not the tail," and you have to preach, "The greatest among us is servant of all." We're responsible for all of it, and anything that justifies behavior "other than," is Jezebel; it's the debts of Satan, and the world will love it, and the world will flock to it, and the world will love them because they're their own. See it for what it is and let those that have ears hear what the Spirit says to the church.

If the brethren will come, we're going to sing this one more time and just turn your hearts and your eyes and worship Him. Thank you, Father. Oh, hallelujah! Just extend your hearts now towards these that have come. Let's pray and believe God to minister His grace, healing, peace, in the name of Jesus. Glory to God, brethren, let's pray. Father, we come in Jesus' name and thank You for healing. We thank You for deliverance. Oh Jesus, we thank You, Lord, that Your grace is more than adequate to us. Father, we delight in You, and we just thank You for the presence of your Spirit. Father, we ask that we could receive the message that's been given to these churches and apply it to our lives, that we would be able to walk in illumination, that we would understand the great things that have been done and the things that You expect of us, Father. Help us to incorporate this into the vision that we have as a fellowship of believers. Help us, Father, to move as we said in our studies, and understanding of the first love, Lord, that we would not move without compassion, that we would not move without the supernatural, that we would not just look for pure doctrine, but we would look for purity of heart, and a love for the lost, and the broken, and that we would bring them a message that's uncompromised, a message with power that truly sets captives free, and for it Father, we're going to give You all the glory. Father, we're going to give you all of the honor in, Jesus' name. Hallelujah! Just worship Him! Just thank Him for what He's doing in our lives! Glory to God! Glory to God! Glory to God! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Oh, thank You for it, Father, in Jesus' name. Just before we go, turn to somebody next to you and say, "It's a narrow way." Amen! Go in peace, God's love go with you, in Jesus' name.

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