Prophecy
We read in the Old testament about Israel. During the reign of Ahab, king of northern Israel, the policies of Ahab's father was carried out. His father had started out making alliances with other states. It was during this time, Ahab making many mistakes, especially in the eyes of "Yehova God", Ahab made another. He married Jezebel ( 1Kings16:31), which was considered to be a sin. This union with Jezebel would take Ahab from Yahweh who had delivered Israel, and put Ahab serving Baals . This was typical of the whoredom that Israel followed during her lifetime as a nation in the Old testament.
Jezebel brought with her Baal worship. Israel had put together Baal and the worship of Jehovah to incorporate the two, long before the arrival of Jezebel. However, Israel's whoredom reached a new peak when Jezebel came on the scene. Now the king and queen both led Israel further away from Jehovah. This is because the Baal Jezebel brought to Israel was not the same one as Israel was now serving. This new Baal was an entirely new God. This was the Phoenician Bal, pure and simple. It brought a new idea of God to Israel. This new idea of God presented a much different picture from that of Jehovah.
Moreover, Phoenicia had enjoyed wealth and luxury on a scale that Israel did not know. The problem was that along with their wealth, Phoenicia tasted the sweet fruits of Baal and Astarte worship. This worship infected the heart and mind of everyone it touched. For Israel, moral deterioration meant spiritual death and political decline. Many times Jehovah warned Israel to turn away from their sins through the prophets.
It was like a cancer eating into the vitals or a head and heart sickness resulting in total decay (Is 1:6) ISBE P 1676,Jezebel
Jezebel-strongs 2403, grk, "unexalted, without a husband".
Thus, Israel who was betrothed to Jehovah, now had become separated. She had in essence taken off the ring of marriage to play the whore with another God. This picture of Israel separating itself from God, is a picture of the Church today. Jesus warns us of such things in Revelation.
Revelation 2:20 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.
The church in Thyatira had a problem. It allowed a woman who called herself a prophetess to teach the followers of Jesus Christ to commit whoredom and seek iniquity. This woman was a church goer. She was in the church. She taught damnable heresies which sent people to destruction. As Peter warns us also to beware:
2 Peter 2:1 ¶But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
This teaching was so bad, it caused the servants of the Lord to fall away from the Lord. These people were in the church though. These were so-called Christians. But they followed fornication and sought after other idols. This was so bad the warning the Lord gives is one to remember:
Revelation 2:21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. 22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
There had been a time to repent for those who followed such things. But time had passed and those who committed fornication, and taught this was okay for Christians, probably saw this time as Gods okay on their behavior. This was not the case. The Lord said he would send this false prophetess and those who follow her into a bed of "tribulation" unless they repent. Their children would be killed as well. These versus describe the result of a church that becomes a whore Jezebel.
This Jezebel church today has removed the ring off her finger. The churches are those believers that are truly born again by the Holy Spirit. The false idea today is that the church is the building and denominations you see. The names, churches, theologies, and teachings of individual churches are not the true church. Jesus Christ is not coming back for bricks and stones. He is not coming back for people whose first greatest love is their denomination. He is coming back for born again believers who greatest love and dedication are to him and His Word.
Many former believers today have gone cold. They have removed off their fingers the wedding band. That Spiritual insignia of being bonded to one love. One soul mate for life. This is marriage. As a believer you are wedded to Christ. You are to be united with him in Eternity at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Revelation 19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
When a church meets, it does so when people who are saved and filled with the Spirit of God are there. They meet and the Lord is in the midst of them. The Lord is not in the midst of believers because of the brick and building we call a church. He is in the midst of those who have received them, because he is inside your heart. When those who love the Lord let their light go dim and their love darkens, the ring of commitment comes off. That is when the devil can see the ring's band mark on the finger of those former believers. It is just like married people today who see an opportunity to commit adultery and take off their wedding rings for a moments pleasure. The ring is gone, but the ring's band mark is still there. So too, when believers go cold. The insignia of Christ's band mark is still on their heart, but the devil see's his opportunity to lure them into sin.
Today, this is going on as never before. Like Phoenicia of old, America is rich, powerful, and has enjoyed luxury like no other nation. Also, like that nation of old, America is serving many Baals’ and Astarte's. America believes and its people think that they can do anything they want. They believe as do many churches today, there is no such thing as sin. They don't fear God, nor his warnings. As a result, the churches today will face the warnings as given in Revelation. If they do not repent, the Lord will cast those who are committing fornication with the Jezebel church into tribulation and will kill her children with death. The children here are those offspring of the Jezebel church who follow fornication and godlessness.
Thus, Christians have refused their lover and taken another. This other lover's name is worldliness, fornication, and idolatry. Thus, they become The Un-exalted whore church. These are the ones who have "Taken off The Ring of Christ." They like Israel and like Thyatira now face the wrath of God.
Ephesians 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Colossians 3:6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
Where do you stand in Christ? Do you know? I urge you to now seek Him with all your heart....The Watchman
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You made an excellent point re: denominationalism. Too many people consider themselves Baptists, Catholics, Lutherans etc.
We have brothers and sisters in virtually every meeting place that holds up the name of Jesus. Allowing separation due to denominational differences is playing into the devil's hand: "Divide and Conquer."
At the same time, a friend, Larry Lilly once made this poignant observation, "The bane of Christianity is the nominal Christian."