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 stumblingblock 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. (Rev. 2:12-17)
This has been the most difficult church to study for me. I feel as though I am stalking evil, seeing evil's horrific carnage strewn along the way. I have had to stop for awhile, because it is more than I could bear to read or "hear"about.
Unbelievably, my research has even led me to Sicily, the place of my family's heritage, to a time of rulers capable of such evil that I feel that it makes me want to renounce any evil residue that might have found its way into my family's spiritual makeup; much like I would want to do if I found out I was related by ancestry to Hitler!
Jesus says that the church at Pergamos (located then in what is now modern-day Turkey) was "the seat of Satan." I am sure that I see only a part of it, and yet what I see is abominable even to me. How abominable was it for our holy God? How intense was the struggle against such evil for the believers at this church?
The bishop of Pergamos, just prior to the time that John was given this vision, was named Antipas and Jesus calls him "my faithful martyr." He died a horrific death and while we have no eyewitness to tell us that Jesus was with him, I know that He was, and that in some way, the suffering of Antipas was eased because of it.
The manner of his death, and its tie to the god Molech, is the atrocity that has caused me such grief in my research. He was roasted to death inside the belly of a bronze bull. The atrocity lies not only in the manner of death by this device of torture, but also in the "enhancements" that are given to the screams of the one suffering inside of it, causing it to sound as if the bull is "bellowing."
What madness, what evil, conceived of such a thing? Satan himself, of course; who caused the Ammonites first to worship their false god Molech with a similar device, shaped into a bull (but having a roaring fire in its belly) into which their infant children were cast in exchange for a promise of atonement for their sins. What Satanic mockery of God's holy animal sacrifices!
Thus, this device of torture that was used to kill "faithful Antipas" began as the thing used to offer human sacrifices to the god Molech, but with demonically-inspired enhancements designed by a Greek metal-worker by the name of Perillos of Athens who proposed the device to the tyrant of Akragas in Sicily whose name was Phalaris. The reign of this tyrant over what is now known as Agrigento lasted from 570-554 BC. Tourists often travel to Agrigento, Sicily, in order to see the ruins of the many Grecian temples built there centuries before to honor Zeus and other Greek gods.
The town of Agrigento is not far from the birthplace of my own grandparents. Hence, my dismay to learn that such a device as killed Antipas was first embellished for a ruler of Sicily, who used it first on Perillos the designer himself; God's justice at work perhaps? Then God saw to it that Phalaris became its victim as well some time later when he was overthrown.
Antipas was killed in 92 AD; the last reported use of the bronze bull was during the reign of Roman Emperor Diocletian in 287 A.D. How many victims did it see during all those years?
I took a quick road trip this past weekend during which I listened to an audio bible version playing in my car. I "read" all of Genesis, Exodus and part of Leviticus in this short overnight trip. And I recognized something that I hadn't quite ever latched onto before: that the laws that God instructed His own people to be obedient to were the exact same laws (divine laws that are never to be broken by anyone?) that were being broken by the inhabitants of the land that God was conquering through Israel.
In other words, God forbade Israel to let their own children "pass through the fires of Molech" even as He was leading them to destroy all of those nations who had allowed their children to "pass through the fires of Molech." He had Israel overthrow these nations, and inhabit their lands themselves; all with the purpose of now being the light of God's glory in what was a previously dark land.
But it wasn't just infant sacrifices that these former inhabitants of the land were doing that was so abominable to God...there was more. And because of all of the things they were doing, they were destroyed by a holy God. I can only imagine how many of these things were actually happening in Pegamos at the time that Jesus called it "the seat of Satan."
The thing that struck me the most, however, from the audio bible reading this weekend, was found in the 18th chapter of Leviticus which is the set of laws forbidding every form of sexual immorality. In the midst of the laws that describe in detail what sexual immorality is, is also found the law that says:
"Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord." (v. 21).
Now this particular "do not" seems a little out of place in the midst of laws about having sexual relations with one another. Unless....
Unless the immorally wrong sexual relations were producing "unwanted" babies who were being "disposed of" through the bronze bull of Molek (in an actual fire burning in the belly of the bull). Why else would God have injected this law amongst all the laws against unholy sexual relations?
I want now to give you the section of Leviticus 18 that begins at verse 20 and goes to the end of that chapter so that you will understand God's reasons for destroying the nations that He calls detestable:
Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor's wife and defile yourself with her.
Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.
Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman: that is detestable.
Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.
Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.
But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the foreigners residing among you must not do any of these detestable things, for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.
Everyone who does any of these detestable things - such persons must be cut off from their people. Keep my requirements and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them.
I am the Lord your God.
Are these things happening in nations today? The question must be asked, how long will the nations be allowed to thrive who continue to do or even to allow such things? And what about the churches in the midst of such nations?
In the city of Pergamos was found many types of evil: sexual immorality, including Molek worship; the doctrine of Balaam which we will discuss in next posting; the doctrine of the Nicolaitans which has been discussed, but will be lightly touched on again.
Some of these things even found their way into the church at Pergamos. Jesus tells those who are practicing such things to repent or He will come to them and fight against them with His sword. (Opportunity to repent is always given once, twice or even more times by our Lord; we just can never be sure when exactly He will cease to strive with us which is why "today is the day of salvation" - never tomorrow - for there is no guarantee that we will have a chance to repent tomorrow!)
Israel was the sword of the Lord against all the evil nations that God led Israel to conquer and destroy. Yet, Israel itself was chastised in the wilderness with plagues and fire and other judgments of God when those same evils were found within its camp, for its camp carried with it the glory of the Lord; the same glory of the Lord that is claimed to be carried by the churches of Jesus today. Would not our churches suffer the same judgments of God if these things are found within its walls as well? Is Jesus not speaking to us as the church today, in the same way He spoke to these seven churches found in Revelation?
The blessing that will come to those who read the Book of Revelation will come only if those readers "hear" the Word of the Lord concerning these churches, and "do" all that is necessary to personally repent of any similar sins found in them, or in their churches, being quick to remove all vestige of these evils from themselves or from their churches; things that the Lord calls "detestable" or "perversion" or "defiling."
These last days are no time for the churches to compromise in any way. These last days are the time for the churches to begin declaring the Word of the Lord, especially speaking out against sin and declaring it to be what it is: detestable and a defilement. No compromise is acceptable to a HOLY God. In fact, compromise will be discussed in greater detail when we get to the last of the seven churches, that of Laodicea, where interestingly the same term "vomit" is used concerning this church as it is used in Leviticus chapter 18.
Our God never changes!
Thus, this device of torture that was used to kill "faithful Antipas" began as the thing used to offer human sacrifices to the god Molech, but with demonically-inspired enhancements designed by a Greek metal-worker by the name of Perillos of Athens who proposed the device to the tyrant of Akragas in Sicily whose name was Phalaris. The reign of this tyrant over what is now known as Agrigento lasted from 570-554 BC. Tourists often travel to Agrigento, Sicily, in order to see the ruins of the many Grecian temples built there centuries before to honor Zeus and other Greek gods.
The town of Agrigento is not far from the birthplace of my own grandparents. Hence, my dismay to learn that such a device as killed Antipas was first embellished for a ruler of Sicily, who used it first on Perillos the designer himself; God's justice at work perhaps? Then God saw to it that Phalaris became its victim as well some time later when he was overthrown.
Antipas was killed in 92 AD; the last reported use of the bronze bull was during the reign of Roman Emperor Diocletian in 287 A.D. How many victims did it see during all those years?
I took a quick road trip this past weekend during which I listened to an audio bible version playing in my car. I "read" all of Genesis, Exodus and part of Leviticus in this short overnight trip. And I recognized something that I hadn't quite ever latched onto before: that the laws that God instructed His own people to be obedient to were the exact same laws (divine laws that are never to be broken by anyone?) that were being broken by the inhabitants of the land that God was conquering through Israel.
In other words, God forbade Israel to let their own children "pass through the fires of Molech" even as He was leading them to destroy all of those nations who had allowed their children to "pass through the fires of Molech." He had Israel overthrow these nations, and inhabit their lands themselves; all with the purpose of now being the light of God's glory in what was a previously dark land.
But it wasn't just infant sacrifices that these former inhabitants of the land were doing that was so abominable to God...there was more. And because of all of the things they were doing, they were destroyed by a holy God. I can only imagine how many of these things were actually happening in Pegamos at the time that Jesus called it "the seat of Satan."
The thing that struck me the most, however, from the audio bible reading this weekend, was found in the 18th chapter of Leviticus which is the set of laws forbidding every form of sexual immorality. In the midst of the laws that describe in detail what sexual immorality is, is also found the law that says:
"Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord." (v. 21).
Now this particular "do not" seems a little out of place in the midst of laws about having sexual relations with one another. Unless....
Unless the immorally wrong sexual relations were producing "unwanted" babies who were being "disposed of" through the bronze bull of Molek (in an actual fire burning in the belly of the bull). Why else would God have injected this law amongst all the laws against unholy sexual relations?
I want now to give you the section of Leviticus 18 that begins at verse 20 and goes to the end of that chapter so that you will understand God's reasons for destroying the nations that He calls detestable:
Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor's wife and defile yourself with her.
Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.
Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman: that is detestable.
Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.
Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.
But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the foreigners residing among you must not do any of these detestable things, for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.
Everyone who does any of these detestable things - such persons must be cut off from their people. Keep my requirements and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them.
I am the Lord your God.
Are these things happening in nations today? The question must be asked, how long will the nations be allowed to thrive who continue to do or even to allow such things? And what about the churches in the midst of such nations?
In the city of Pergamos was found many types of evil: sexual immorality, including Molek worship; the doctrine of Balaam which we will discuss in next posting; the doctrine of the Nicolaitans which has been discussed, but will be lightly touched on again.
Some of these things even found their way into the church at Pergamos. Jesus tells those who are practicing such things to repent or He will come to them and fight against them with His sword. (Opportunity to repent is always given once, twice or even more times by our Lord; we just can never be sure when exactly He will cease to strive with us which is why "today is the day of salvation" - never tomorrow - for there is no guarantee that we will have a chance to repent tomorrow!)
Israel was the sword of the Lord against all the evil nations that God led Israel to conquer and destroy. Yet, Israel itself was chastised in the wilderness with plagues and fire and other judgments of God when those same evils were found within its camp, for its camp carried with it the glory of the Lord; the same glory of the Lord that is claimed to be carried by the churches of Jesus today. Would not our churches suffer the same judgments of God if these things are found within its walls as well? Is Jesus not speaking to us as the church today, in the same way He spoke to these seven churches found in Revelation?
The blessing that will come to those who read the Book of Revelation will come only if those readers "hear" the Word of the Lord concerning these churches, and "do" all that is necessary to personally repent of any similar sins found in them, or in their churches, being quick to remove all vestige of these evils from themselves or from their churches; things that the Lord calls "detestable" or "perversion" or "defiling."
These last days are no time for the churches to compromise in any way. These last days are the time for the churches to begin declaring the Word of the Lord, especially speaking out against sin and declaring it to be what it is: detestable and a defilement. No compromise is acceptable to a HOLY God. In fact, compromise will be discussed in greater detail when we get to the last of the seven churches, that of Laodicea, where interestingly the same term "vomit" is used concerning this church as it is used in Leviticus chapter 18.
Our God never changes!
No comments:
Post a Comment