Read: Amos 1:1-3:15; Revelation 2:1-17; Psalm 129:1-8; Proverbs 29:19-20
Amos was both a shepherd and a prophet who lived during the reigns of Uzziah, and Jeroboam. He spoke against he sins of Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Moab, Judah, and Israel. God was about to punish each of these nations for their idolatry and sin. Amos makes a profound statement that surely the Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. That is so true which is why we have Revelation. It is God revealing Jesus and his plan for the church age.
Revelation is a call to the Gentile Church to become the bride. Everyone of the churches that John mentions were Gentile churches. He started with Ephesus which stands for the first church age. It started at Pentecost, fifty days after Jesus death on the cross and lasted about 70 years. Everything that started in the early church continues throughout history and grows. The righteous shine brighter and the evil become more corrupt until the end when God will judge it all.
It is impossible for me to explain all of this in my blog but I will give you the skinny of it.
Ephesus was the Apostolic Age. Ephesus was the largest and finest of the churches of the time. It was begun by Paul who was also the messenger of the age. The world was in turmoil as the Roman Empire was gaining more and more power. Christians were being persecuted and the temple dishonored but they came out stronger. The Nicolaitans completely separated their spiritual nature from their physical nature giving themselves license to sin. Jerusalem fell and most of the Sanhedrin was killed during the war which led to the split between the Jews and the Christians.
The next church age was Smyrna which was known as the Persecuted Church. The established church was becoming religious with all kinds of laws and rituals. Church leaders fell into a hierarchy with popes, archbishops, bishops and presbyters. This is when they started having liturgies, prayers, hymns, baptism. teaching of the Eucharitst, and offerings. Jerusalem had fallen and the Christians and the Jews split into synagogues and churches. Pagan practices seeped into the church and persecution swept the church until 260 when Christianity became popular in Rome again. In 284, Diocletian became emperor and wanted the people to worship him as a god. This caused another sweep of persecution through the church causing the church to grow.
Diocletian became emperor in 284, with about 5 million Christians in his empire. At first he tolerated them but eventually, he chose Jupiter to be Rome’s god and ordered a violent attack on the church. he had their sacred writings burned and many killed.
The third church was Pergamum, the Indulged Church. They represent the time of 312-606. Pergamum was the capital of Asia and completely given over to Greek gods, especially Bacchus, the god of revelry and Asclepius, the god of healing. Constantine became ruler and ordered Christianity to be the religion because of a vision he had seen of a cross in the sky and heard the words, “In this name, conquer.” Even though he was attracted to Christianity, he did not really understand what it was and watered down the meaning of the truth till it looked like Babylonian mysticism. This is when the rosary, celibacy of the priests and nuns, prayers for the dead, making the sign of the cross, worship of saints and angels, mass, worship of Mary, priestly dress, extreme unction, the doctrine of purgatory, services in Latin and prayers to Mary were introduced. Where the church at Ephesus rejected the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, the church of Pergamum accepted it. The lay people were given no voice in church affairs but were expected to blindly agree. God called them to repent.
To those who overcame, God promised to give him hidden manna and a white stone. That is the same revelation and assurance he gives us.
Lord, help us to have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to us.
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