When Jesus draws attention to “the deep things of Satan” affecting the faith of His followers (see Revelation 2:24), it’s not something we can afford to overlook. Yet I don’t want to obsess about the enemy; he likes it when we fixate on him. This is now the third post in a series that is looking at a dark subject, but not for its own sake. Instead, my aim is for us to grow stronger in our commitment to Christ. (Here are the links to the first and second posts.)
In Revelation 2, the Lord ties the false teaching afflicting the churches at Pergamum and Thyatira to two Old Testament figures: Balaam and Jezebel. The content of their admonitions and practices were the same: eat food sacrificed to idols and commit acts of sexual immorality. These were elements of pagan worship in the Ancient Near East, and were a perennial temptation to the Israelites. Even in the days of the New Testament, these ideas persisted, so Jesus had to confront some of His churches about entertaining such notions.
The false prophetess at Thyatira, along with her followers, referred to their own teaching as “the deep things of Satan.” At first glance, this wouldn’t make any sense, because no genuine church would welcome messages from the devil. So it would look like they were dooming their efforts from the start.
But these heretics weren’t offering sermons from the devil. They were teaching about him and his host. To be specific, the false teachers were mimicking Balaam and Jezebel to show God’s people the supposed secrets of a worldly spirituality of success.
By the time the book of Revelation was written (around the year 95), persecution was difficult to avoid. Jews opposed Christians because of the gospel’s claim that Jesus was the Messiah. And many Gentiles, including Roman government officials, suspected believers of disloyalty to the emperor. So Christ’s disciples were being hit from all sides. In the eyes of the world, these believers were failures.
The heretics challenged this whole scenario. No need to suffer! They claimed the insights believers needed to assert their authority over the enemy and to establish prosperity in their lives.
The issue goes all the way back to Eden.
On the sixth day of creation, God made human beings to be His princes and princesses in this world under His jurisdiction. (All Bible verses are from the NASB.)
Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.” 27So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30and to every animal of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to everything that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. – Genesis 1:26-30
This passage establishes the elemental significance of food and sexuality, the twin foundations of earthly life. The false teachers in Revelation were seeking to flourish like Adam and Eve first did. The Lord provided all the food the first couple would ever need, and He instructed them to start their family! There was room in God’s world for more people!
But Genesis introduces the idea of authority alongside these earthly blessings. In the Ancient Near East, kings would set up statues of themselves in lands they’d taken over. Verse 27 shows us God doing the same thing in the land He made, but with one big difference. He commissions these images–human beings–to rule! Even though God is the supreme authority (He is Lord, after all), He turns over to us the capacity to govern this world. Not apart from Him, but under His jurisdiction.
God didn’t have to do this; He’s more than capable of handling Earth by Himself. But our Lord is gracious; He created us so we could participate in His rulership.
Of course, Satan threw a monkey wrench in God’s plan. Playing on the truth of humans as God’s regents, he drew Adam and Eve away from the Lord, which cost them their position within His kingdom.
Now the serpent was more cunning than any animal of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” 2The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” 4The serpent said to the woman, “You certainly will not die! 5For God knows that on the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and evil.” 6When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate. 7Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves waist coverings. – Genesis 3:1-7
The temptation and resulting fall damaged the blessings of food, sexuality, and authority. Growing crops would now prove difficult (see Genesis 3:17-19). Pain would affect marriage and family (see Genesis 3:16). And God promised to judge the deceiving serpent (see Genesis 3:15).
The heretics Jesus confronted in Revelation remembered these narratives. What they wanted was a renewal of Adamic authority in the world. To do this required defeating the devil and reclaiming the core aspects of earthly existence (food and sexuality).
Jesus doesn’t go into detail, but Jezebel and her ilk must have believed they possessed the secret wisdom and spiritual techniques by which they could liberate themselves from the enemy and enjoy unlimited prosperity.
Christians living under persecution experienced hardship, which the heretics rejected. In their minds, they had a better hope and the spiritual resources to get them what they wanted.
It must have been tempting for Christ’s loyal followers to consider the claims of the heretics. Who wants to suffer if it’s unnecessary?
But in each of the seven letters in Revelation 2-3, Jesus promises rewards for those who overcome the trials of this world. The heretics catered to the ego by promising worldly success reminiscent of the Garden of Eden. Christ assures the faithful that He will honor them with Edenic and eternal blessings.
In one sense, it’s a matter of timing.
The heretics knew about the victory of Jesus over Satan.
“Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.” – John 12:31
“The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” – 1 John 3:8b
They recognized the witness of the Spirit who testified about it.
“And [the Comforter], when He comes, will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgment: 9regarding sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10and regarding righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you no longer are going to see Me; 11and regarding judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.” – John 16:8-11
Since Jesus conquered the ruler of this world, believers must now be free to enjoy the blessings of this world. If they suffer persecution, it has to be due to their ignorance of devilish dark secrets. Learning about the enemy would give Christians an advantage over demonic forces and force those adversaries to flee.
The world would then open itself up to the dominion of Christ’s anointed ones. These heretics felt like they could even take part in the sacrificial meals and sexual perversions of pagan religious rituals because they’d transcended the evil spirits behind them.
But Jesus warned His followers about the troubles they would face in this world. If the Lord Himself endured trials, so will we.
If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. 20Remember the word that I said to you, “A slave is not greater than his master.” If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they followed My word, they will follow yours also. – John 15:18-20
These things I have spoken to you so that you will not be led into sin. 2They will ban you from the synagogue, yet an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering a service to God. 3These things they will do because they have not known the Father nor Me. 4But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. However, I did not say these things to you at the beginning, because I was with you. – John 16:1-4
“These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33
Let’s stay true to the Father, remain loyal to the Son, and depend on the Holy Spirit. At the end of days, we will enter into magnificent rewards reserved for those who overcome.
We need no secret knowledge of the enemy; we have the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And that is more than enough!
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