Jump Start # 584

Revelation 2:21 I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.

Our Jump Starts are taking a quick look at what Jesus said to the seven churches in Revelation. Many of the churches were troubled and had left their position with the Lord. What Jesus tells them will get them back on course. This is a unique way of looking at these things, focusing upon the rebukes of Jesus. This is often not the pleasant type of verses that we would rather think about, but this is reality. Often churches, often Christians, often we, need to hear these things to get back where we ought to be.

Our verse today is addressed to the church at Thyatira. That church had a problem. Someone, possibly a woman, was leading the Christians astray. Using a parallel from the O.T., she is called Jezebel. The original Jezebel took the prize for being wicked. She was married to Ahab the king. She was a worshipper of Baal. She killed God’s prophets and put out an assassination order on Elijah. She signed her husband’s name to letters and ran the country. Wicked, evil and hurtful was her ways. Now, all these hundreds of years later, the church at Thyatira had someone that was parallel to Jezebel. Not only was someone doing their evil work among the brethren, but they were successful in leading Christians to listen and follow her corrupt ideas. The church was tolerating her. Christ was set to bring down wrath upon this corrupt person and all who went along with her.

Our verse today is found in the midst of what Jesus says to the church. He gave this Jezebel time to repent, but she does not want to repent. Interesting thought.

First, people need time to repent. They need to know what they are doing is wrong. Some don’t know. They need to come to reality with what the Scriptures teach. Moving too quickly may bring discipline upon someone before they even know that they did wrong or were given time to change. God always allows a person the opportunity to change. God is gracious. He will forgive. The Biblical approach is to show a person through the Bible that their actions are not correct. Then, show them how they can get right with God. For some, that will be hard. It means some radical changes in their life. Sin has messed up their thinking and taken them down a long and dark road. There is more to it than simply come back to church services. Values, priorities, thinking has to be changed. Satan redefines words and allows us to become so selfish that we think the universe revolves around us. It doesn’t. But we can sure think that way.

It take time. Righteous folks can be impatient waiting for the wicked to change. This is a judgment call. How much time do I give a person? A day? A week? A month? It depends upon each person. We can move too quickly and we can move too slowly. With some situations, rapid movement is necessary to protect the church. Other situations allow for growth and progress. Our passage says that God gave her time to repent. The problem wasn’t that she didn’t know, nor, was she not given enough time. Those were done.

Second, some, like this Jezebel, do not want to repent. They don’t want to come back to God. They remain in the land of sin and in the wilderness of being lost. They want nothing to do with the Bible, God’s people or church. They are willing to ruin the marriage for an affair. They are willing to destroy all that is good for the pills or the bottle. They would rather hang out with people who are vulgar, lost and nasty in mouth and attitude than to associate with the holy. Time was given. Warnings were sent out. They do not want to come home. This story doesn’t end well. It’s not like the prodigal who came to his senses. These modern Jezebels’ never do come to their senses. They remain with the pigs and invite others to join them. It’s hard to understand. It’s especially hard to understand, knowing that they once walked with the righteous and now they have gone back to the land of being lost. The future course is not a good one. They are headed for a headon crash with God. They will not survive the judgment. Hope, Heaven and goodness have been tossed out like trash. They’d rather party with the pagans, dance with the wolves and die with the sinners. And so they will. And what a loss it will be. h

We think about all the good that they could have done, and all the potential lost. All the opportunities thrown away. Gone. Turned their back on the loving Savior. Walked away from grace and forgiveness. Denying that God made them and made them for better things.

Parents are crushed with this is one of their children. Churches are stunned when one of the members goes this way. And I can’t help but imagine that Heaven sheds a tear at the loss of one of God’s children. The world becomes a bit darker. The kingdom loses a worker. The family is set adrift. Children lose a godly chance and opportunity.

God longed for Jezebel to turn from her wicked ways, but she did not want to. How sad. How about you? Is God calling you home but you are fighting Him? You want to keep one foot in the land of sin, you are not ready to leave what you know is wrong. Someday, you may run out of time. Then it will be too late and such a loss. Home with God, living as He wants you is the only way to be.

Roger