“But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them–I place no other burden on you.” – Revelation 2:24 (NASB)
Our final post in this series! (Here are the links to the first, second, third, and fourth articles.)
Over the past few weeks, I’ve tried to help us look into the meaning of “the deep things of Satan” without becoming preoccupied with them. To summarize, the heresy referred to in Revelation 2:24 concerns the twin foundations of earthly existence: food and sexuality. In the Garden of Eden, God had tied these blessings to the authority He gave humanity, but the devil gained control over the world through deception. Ever since, people have been placating Satan in one way or another in exchange for success in these areas.
But the gospel proclaims the victory of Jesus over the devil! All authority, whether in heaven or on earth, abides in Him (see Matthew 28:18). In light of this glorious achievement, Christians could conclude that they can now enjoy the matters of this life which had suffered corruption.
It’s a reasonable assumption, yet the persecution of Christians by the world would tell a different story. Experiencing these hardships, some believers wrote off the world as hopeless. They regarded any aspect of it, including the bases of earthly life, to be beyond redemption. In this logic, followers of Christ must reject natural things as inimical to one’s spiritual growth. This was the perspective Paul criticized in 1 Timothy 4:1-5.
Others took a different tack. Confident they’d unlocked the secrets of the dark realm and its occupants, these Christians insisted they had the means to subjugate the devil and revel in the world’s bounty. While there’s a grain of truth here, the heretics pressed matters to the extreme.
They advocated eating food dedicated to idols and promoted sexual immorality. In Revelation 2, Jesus spoke out against these perversions of the freedom of the gospel. And two of His disciples, Peter and Jude, did the same. The second chapter of 2 Peter and most of the book of Jude expose and refute this heresy and those who proclaim it.
The complete opposite of the austerity challenged by Paul, this belief system advocates indulgence. To these heretics, selfishness is the hallmark of success in this world.
And they were good at it! Jude describes them as “ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into indecent behavior and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 4b). The grace of God was too close to the heart of the gospel for them to deny, so they didn’t. Instead, they twisted it to serve their own interests. And in doing so, these heretics magnified themselves while diminishing the significance of Christ’s person and work.
Spiritual pride feeding their flesh motivated this harmful theology. Peter describes them as “those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt passion, and despise authority. Reckless, self-centered, they speak abusively of angelic majesties without trembling, 11whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a demeaning judgment against them before the Lord” (2 Peter 2:10-11). (Bible quotations in this post are from the NASB.)
In Jude’s words, “These people also, dreaming, defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak abusively of angelic majesties. 9But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him an abusive judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’” (Jude 8-9).
Interesting how the two apostles connect fleshly indulgence and spiritual arrogance. One vice feeds into the other.
These false teachers didn’t know when to quit! Not only did they diminish Jesus, they disrespected other spiritual beings as well. Peter refers to angels as victims of such verbal assaults. Jude suggests that even Satan didn’t escape their ramifications of their superior attitude.
I can understand Peter castigating them for dishonoring God’s angels, but why does Jude mention Satan? Shouldn’t we debase him any way we can?
The flippancy these heretics showed toward the enemy stemmed from their assumption that they knew “the deep things of Satan.” They believed they possessed the spiritual secrets necessary to defeat the devil and claim their right to the best of this world. Spiritual beings, whether good or evil, can’t hold them back.
They see themselves as spiritual superheroes.
Except they’re not!
Far from having superior capabilities over angels (fallen or otherwise) or people, the heretics were reducing themselves to the level of animals. According to Peter, “these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, using abusive speech where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed” (2 Peter 2:12). Or as Jude put it, “these people disparage all the things that they do not understand; and all the things that they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed” (Jude 10).
The desire for success, a natural and good ambition, led these Christians far from a secure and humble station in Jesus. Touting their exalted status, they were in reality dooming themselves and anyone who listened to them.
The object lesson for us? Solomon summarized it rather well: “pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling” (Proverbs 16:18).
It’s a shame the heretics Jesus, Peter, and Jude contended with harbored such haughty attitudes because in Christ they had all they’d ever need.
When we walk with Jesus, He takes care of us. Yes, we also encounter trials and tests; this world is hostile to the gospel. But following our Lord will bring us through the difficulties and to His rewards.
The gospel communicates no esoteric knowledge about spiritual reality or worldly success because none of that is necessary. Instead, Jesus reveals to us the love of our Creator and Redeemer who calls us to join Him in offering genuine hope to the lost.
All we have to do is stay loyal to Christ. As we do so, we’re winners in His eyes. And His judgment is the only one that counts!
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