False doctrines
Several of the churches were condemned because they allowed false doctrines to pollute their own doctrine. Three specific false doctrines are mentioned in these two chapters. Lets examine them a little closer so that we can understand how this applies to us today.
The doctrine of Nicolaitans
To the church in Ephesus
6 "But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
To the church in Pergamos
15 "Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
The word Nicolaitans comes from a combination of Greek words but literally means ‘to rule over the laity’. God has never given permission for the church leaders to rule over the people. Most cults are born out of religious rule. Leaders get the power over the people by making themselves the intermediary between the people and God and make themselves the judge over who has salvation. Any student of the Bible can see the error of this. That is why almost all cults discourage their followers from studying the scriptures without ‘guidance’. I was recently given some literature from a cult that spelled out the dangers of reading scripture without a ‘study program’ to guide them. Their own words were, “Regardless of how sincere you are, the scriptures will be confusing and you will be mislead if you study outside our program”.
Jesus presented another plan for church leadership. Look at Matthew 20:
25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.
26 "Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.
27 "And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave --
28 "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
That is quite a different picture than we see in churches and religious groups that are not followers of God’s plan. A spiritual leader shows his qualifications by becoming the servant of others. A true leader leads by example not instruction alone. 1 Corinthians 11:1 gives the picture of true leadership in one phrase, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” God said that He hates the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. That is a strong warning. Any leader that attempts to control or rule over the people is in direct violation of God’s commands. That does not mean a church can’t set its standards, it means that the people, following scripture, submit themselves to the authority of God and then to each other. A true leader humbles himself to lead by serving Christ and others.
The doctrine of Balaam
14 “But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.”
One thing you will find as you study the book of Revelation is that John draws heavily on the Old Testament. Many of the analogies are written with the assumption that the reader knows the Old Testament. It is written to the church and people who have become students of the scriptures. The doctrine of Balaam is a reference to the Old Testament as well. We first see Balaam in Numbers 22. Balaam was a prophet of God who was hired by Balak, king of the Moabites.
After Israel left Egypt and went into the Promised Land, they began to conquer the kingdoms that occupied the land. Balak was afraid of the people and recognized that God was blessing them. He knew that he could not conquer Israel, so he sent for the prophet Balaam and paid him to curse the people. He reasoned that if a prophet of God would curse the people, God would not fight for them. Three times Balak took Balaam to a peak that overlooked the people and asked him to curse the Israelites. Every time Balaam opened his mouth, God caused him to bless the people. Balak grew angry and said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies and you have bountifully blessed them. I would have greatly honored you, but the Lord has kept you back from honor”. Balaam wanted that honor and the riches promised him, but by his own confession, he was bound by what God put in his mouth to say. But he did find a compromise. He was afraid to speak on behalf of the Lord to curse, but he taught Balak how to make Israel curse themselves. He taught Balak that the people could be lured away from God by immorality. All Balak needed to do was send the most beautiful women of his kingdom to the men of Israel to defile them sexually and then draw them into idolatry. Balaam’s plan worked. The men pursued the lust of these women and were lured away from God and into idolatry.
This same doctrine is in the church today. We have the absolute promise that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church. Satan can’t defeat the church. He can’t even resist or protect his worldly kingdom from the power of the church as she marches forward to fulfill God’s purpose. Since he can’t resist the church that stands on God’s power, he uses the same deception used throughout history – lure God’s people into his kingdom. The only way the church can be defeated is to leave God and pursue pleasure with the enemy. Idolizing the things of the world and sexual immorality are two powerful weapons in the devil’s hands. The children of Israel saw the temptation to get instant gratification. The allowed these temptations to draw their eyes away from the promise of God. They abandoned the great promise for a temporal pleasure.
Christians do the same. We have the promise of satisfaction and fulfillment in this life and the promise of an eternal inheritance. If satan can get our eyes off those promises by getting us to take his gratification, he has won by our forfeit. We can only lose if we forfeit our inheritance in exchange for the devils handouts. If we forget the promise, we will love the world. Look at 2 Peter 2:15, “They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.”
We love the wages of unrighteousness by loving the world. The prophet Balaam loved the world but tried to compromise by a pretense of obedience. He kept what he thought God required and feeling like he accomplished his duty, he mixed the world into his religion. We see this in many forms today. We have churches masquerading as charismatic worshippers of God but in reality they worship money and wealth. The whole focus of their message is gaining worldly possessions. They ignore scripture while using a handful of phrases from scripture to give the illusion of obedience. God said, “I am your exceedingly great reward” but these teach that God is a means to get a reward. The Bible calls these teachers followers of Balaam.
The doctrine of Jezebel
20 "Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.
This passage explains itself. Jezebel was the wife of King Ahab. She was an idol worshipper who despised those who followed God. The only power she had is what Ahab submitted to her. Ahab violated God’s commands by taking her to be his wife. She soon dominated him. She ruled and he obeyed. Once she got the upper hand, she brought her pagan worship into the forefront. She made the people submit to her god and tried to destroy those who did not submit.
The analogy John is bringing into view is the failure of the church to follow God’s command. This model church has compromised the word. They allowed the self-gratifying doctrine to come into the church and have submitted to its doctrine. Soon the doctrine of Jezebel will be the controlling doctrine of this church and those who do not comply will be labeled as violators and will not be tolerated. Evil within the church does not lie dormant. Once allowed into power, it will become the driving force of the church. Ironically, the church becomes enslaved by the very teachers and doctrines that it invited in. We see this type of doctrine alive and well in the church today. In many churches, sexual immorality is tolerated and condoned. The values of the world are called the blessings of God. These teachers turn peoples hearts away from God’s purpose and set their hearts on wealth, health and prosperity. They now eat things sacrificed to the world’s idols. The phrase ‘sacrificed to idols’ simply means things that have been submitted and set apart for the god of this world. This is not referring to food, but instead it refers to things and pleasures that have been set apart and submitted to the authority of satan. Those who eat things sacrificed to idols are those who indulge themselves in the pleasures of this world and live for the purposes of the devil. Sexual immorality is mentioned in each of these erroneous doctrines because sex can be quickly perverted into a powerful bait that satan uses against the church. Like all things, sex was created by God and is good inside the design He established – one man, one woman, joined in marriage and submitting to one another.
Instruction
Remember
Twice in these passages, the church is warned to remember. “Remember from where you are fallen”. “Remember how you have received and heard and hold fast”. Every time we sin it is because we have forgotten God’s mercy. When I forget where I was before God redeemed my life, I will forget the value of the new life He has given me. When I forget my starting point, I will forget where my destination is. When we forget history, we will repeat it. One of the greatest tools of the devil is to get us to forget. If we forget the pain and consequences of sin, the luster of sin becomes more attractive. That is why we repeat the same mistakes over and over. Hundreds of times we are told in the Bible to remember or do not forget what God has done. God has delivered us out of bondage to sin. It is important to remember this deliverance and equally important to remember God’s commands and to do them. Look at these two passages from the Old Testament:
Deuteronomy 24
18 "But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this thing.
Deuteronomy 8
18 "And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
19 "Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.
God used the nation of Israel to symbolize His grace to the church. Without Christ, we also were slaves to sin. We were in bondage and helpless to free ourselves. Just as the people were constantly reminded to reflect on their deliverance, we also must do the same. Our past sins become trophies of grace. They no longer hold us under the power of guilt, but now they reveal the goodness of God’s mercy. I frequently look back at my past. I reflect on the pain and despair that I once felt. I don’t relive the past, but I do use it as an encouragement. The day that Jesus transformed my life is the foundation that everything else must be built on. If I shift away from that foundation, my faith will be unstable and I become vulnerable to falling away from God. Jesus’ gift of my changed life is a rock solid, unshakable foundation that strengthens everything else in my walk of faith. Because I remember God’s transforming grace, doubt can’t crumble my faith. When doubts tempt me, I can always go back to the memorial of my changed life. I can say to anyone who challenges and says God is not real by showing the undeniable change that cannot be explained away.
The same is true for the word of God. If I forget it, it will begin to fade in my heart and will not seem real. For God’s word to be real to us, we must remember what has been delivered and heard, but also hold strongly to it. Until I am living the word, it will not come alive. For most Christians (even many pastors), the word is a theory and not something experienced. God will never seem real and the word will never seem real until you remember His word and do it. The Bible is not a theory or list of good concepts, but the power of God that must be experienced in our lives through obedience founded on faith alone.
Repent
Without repentance we cannot walk with God. It is experiencing God and abiding in Christ that cleanses us from all our unrighteousness. Without the relationship and being in the presence of God, we can’t experience His power. The righteousness of God is not something we take from God and go our way, but is a natural outflow that benefits all who walk in His presence. That is why 1 John 1 tells us that if we walk in the darkness and say we have a relationship with Jesus we are living a lie, but if we walk in the light, we are cleansed and have fellowship with Him and one another. Repentance simply means to leave your ways and walk in His ways. Righteousness and holiness are like any other blessing of God. We receive these benefits from God as a natural outpouring of God’s goodness. You must be in God’s presence to have the fullness of His abundance. When we walk away from God, we walk away from what God gives us. We can’t live contrary to God’s will and expect His blessings. Repentance is a lifestyle, not a single act.
Be faithful
Proverbs 28:20 A faithful man will abound with blessings, But he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.
To be faithful is to take what God has entrusted to you and accomplish His purposes. God has given us salvation and a command to not neglect so great a salvation. God has given us material blessings as a test and as a mission to accomplish His will. The test is to see which we value most. The blessing or the One who blesses. As we seek His purpose we prove ourselves worthy. Faithfulness opens the door for God to abundantly bless us. Some received and set their heart on the blessings. The person who hastens to be rich will be punished because they have neglected everything that is of true value and set their hearts on greed. God gives and requires that we be found faithful (1 Corinthians 4:2). We are not owners of anything in this world. We are trusted to be stewards or caretakers.
Watch
Matthew 24:
42 "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
43 "But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
44 "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
45 " Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?
46 "Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.
47 "Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.
It is impossible to watch and not commit yourself to fulfilling God’s call in your life. If your focus is on God’s purpose, it is impossible to be caught unaware. Watching and not watching are directly effected by the lifestyle you choose. When you think about Jesus’ return, do you feel tension in the pit of your stomach or do you feel the excitement and joyful longing? If your heart is on this world, your hope will be in His delayed coming. 1 John 2:28 says, “And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.” No one who lives his or her life in the center of God’s will can be caught unaware.
Rewards or Consequences
Deuteronomy 11:
26 " Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse:
27 "the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you today;
28 "and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.
There is no middle ground, no half commitment and no partial obedience. There is the process of learning to obey, but no such thing as selective obedience. Many times I have been told that God doesn’t work or His word doesn’t work, but when you dig below the surface you find that obedience is not there. I can look at my own life and see both sides. When I tried to follow God but drew the line at the point where it His call interfered with my desires or comfort. During that time of my life, God didn’t work. God only works in His sovereign will. God does not change His plans to fit our lifestyle. God’s plan is always working and if we are to experience it, we must align ourselves with His plan. I can also testify from personal experience that God does work and will keep His word. Since I surrendered all, God has worked in my life in ways I could never have expected. I have also found that the physical blessings pale in comparison to the spiritual benefits. True riches are the spiritual benefits of a relationship with Christ when He is in first place in every area of our lives. You can’t compartmentalize your life and expect God to bless it. You are either in His will or you are following your own will.
When God’s commands become valuable to us than treasure, keeping the word will be a pleasure. Look at Psalm 18:
8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.
When God’s word becomes more desirable than gold and sweeter than honey then you will experience the fullness of God. When our value system shifts from selfish desires to what God values, we will be able to overcome and reap the true riches of God. To choose the blessing means to choose obedience. To choose what is contrary to God’s will is a curse. There are only two options. God’s way and the deception of satan. These two cannot be mixed so there is no way to choose outside of God’s plan without playing into satan’s hand.
