The Papal/Pagan Church
(Rev. 2:18-29)
*Commendation: Good works, love, service, faith, patience.
*Condemnation: You allow Jezebel to teach idolatry and compromise.
*Counsel: Hold fast what you have until I return.
~The mystery of the seven churches (Rev. 2-3) is revealed in the fact that they outline the prophetic history of the Church from Pentecost to the Lord's appearing in the clouds, an era some refer to as the "age of grace." From the humble, sincere, and zealous beginning to the prideful, blind, and heretical end... the seven letters to the seven churches offer spiritual lessons (founded on their original historical contexts) concerning proper conduct and direction for the Church that is as vital today as when first written.
Prophetic class and hypothesized associated historical era of Thyatira:
Papal/Pagan church {AD 590 - 1517}
...Thyatira was a city dominated by trade guilds and a "happening" social scene where religion was worn as casually as an overcoat, generating high tolerance for all. However, the guilds were each dedicated to their deity of choice, and to become a member (and thus successfully make a living) one had to swear loyalty to the deity of the guild with which they were employed. With less persecution than in other cities (due to religious tolerance) and despite the temptations of social and carnal indulgence, living in Thyatira was considerably easier.
...Though Jesus did commend the church on a number of levels, His condemnation brought to light the lack of evangelistic zeal and adherence to sound doctrine. This was evidenced by the church's liberality in the false teaching of "Jezebel" and its failure to repent of such recusant compromise. Jesus references the Old Testament in His use of the name Jezebel, the pagan wife of King Ahab who corrupted the nation of Israel by introducing Baal worship, i.e. spiritual adultery. This sharp allusion would not be missed by those to whom Christ's Revelation was read, particularly when the level of apostasy to which the church had fallen is forcefully cataloged as "the depths of Satan" (2:24).
...God's grace is displayed when Christ says, "And I gave her (Jezebel) space to repent of her fornication (spiritual adultery); and she repented not" (2:21). No change of mind occurred and, thus, Christ issued a warning of impending judgment for Jezebel and her "lovers." He proclaimed death to her "children" so that all churches would know Christ for Who He is as Savior, Judge, and Lifegiver; the children in this context would be deviant versions (not all versions) of Roman Catholic and eventual Protestant denominations (offspring) spawned from the teaching of false doctrine. Jesus' exhortation to "hold fast until I return" makes plain the idea that the message to Thyatira is not only intended for the local congregation but is likewise intended for the Church universal (2:25); that message being to hold fast to Truth, endeavoring to preserve Light in a dimming world.
...The age of spiritual darkening that began with Pergamos continued through Thyatira, further damaging the Church's spiritual integrity. Two common pagan practices that infiltrated Christianity during this era were chanting and the use of the crucifix. Priests began to chant during services and individuals who prayed would often do so by reciting a word or phrase repeatedly, regardless of whether the meaning of said word or phrase was known or unknown. This contrasts harshly with Jesus' words in Matthew 6:7 where He warned: "When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they are heard because of their many words."
...The crucifix is meant to evoke Christ's "continual sacrifice," but Christ died once for all (He is not still dying) and in His own words He says, "It is finished" (John 19:30). Moreover, in Revelation 1:18 He proclaims, "I am He Who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore." An obvious difference between Catholics and Protestants is the cross used to symbolize their faith. Whereas the Catholic cross often displays Christ upon it in perpetual remembrance of His "continual sacrifice" for our sins, the Protestant cross is empty, heralding the fact that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and arose in Victory over death on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
...Compromise led to spiritual blindness for Thyatira, but there were yet those few who remained obedient and strived to hold fast until Christ returned, doing so by refusing to acquiesce to the disintegration and ill teachings of the fattening, politicized ecclesia, and opting to take the Light of Truth into "hiding" until it would be rekindled in full flame at the Reformation/Protestant transition. This was accomplished by the development of monasteries, scriptoriums, and individuals intent on perfectly preserving (by pen and inkwell) the Holy Scripture in its raw uncorrupted state so that the common person would eventually be able to experience God through His Word directly, rather than through priestly proxy. This development was assisted immensely by the invention and perfection of the printing press.
...The Lord's counsel to Thyatira was apparently meant for the faithful remnant of such a darkened time. And to such faithful individuals will be awarded positions of authority during the Millennial reign of Christ on earth (Rev. 20:6), and to such will also be given the Morning Star... revealed in Revelation 22:16 to be Jesus Christ Himself!
...Since the Thyatira era continues the unfortunate trend of compromise, the following list of adopted pagan-based changes and doctrines expands the history of the Church where we left off in Pergamos:
709 AD - kissing the Pope's foot
786 - worship of icons and relics
850 - use of "holy water" begins
995 - canonization of dead saints
1184 - The Inquisition
1229 - Bible and Holy writings forbidden to laity
1414 - Cup forbidden to laity at Communion
1534 - Jesuit order founded
1545 - Church "tradition" granted equal authority with the Bible
1546 - Apocryphal books added to Bible
1870 - Infallibility of Pope declared
1965 - Mary proclaimed Mother of Church
{excerpted from my commentary, The Revelation of Jesus Christ}
No comments:
Post a Comment