To the church in Thyatira

And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write, ‘These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass: I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first.

Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allowed that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce my servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.  Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.    

Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden. But hold fast what you have till I come.  And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations— ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’ as I also have received from My Father;  and I will give him the morning star.  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”  Revelation 2.18-29

Whew.  That’s loaded.  We’ve allowed ourselves, even in an age of over a billion aborted pregnancies and tens of millions dead from AIDS, drugs and endless millions more lives slain on the altar of our debauchery, to be convinced that sexual sin and hedonism is no big deal. Oh in some dusty old tome in the Vatican furnace room it’s probably technically sin, but we only say that because of mean and hateful people who don’t understand the full divine grace of the ultimate orgasm.  After all, when was the last time you heard anyone say that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit?  Anyone? 

The crazy thing is that the heresy pushing this lottery for libidos, this genocide for genitals, has somehow managed to seize the moral high ground.  I can’t help but think it’s because, deep, deep down in places we don’t admit even to ourselves, we’re more than happy with some of the fringe benefits of this little moral affront to the Gospel of Christ.  I won't go into detail about that, but you get my point. 

Note that after a sweeping broadside of promised suffering and death for those who continue this way, even as we see millions upon millions of lives ruined and lost today due to the sex and drugs revolution, there is that promise for those who do not have such doctrines – which are called the depths of Satan.  The promise? No further burden will be given.

It’s almost as if the widespread agony and suffering we see could be the result, not of divine wrath, but of divine promise that such agony and suffering results when we plumb the depth of Satanic utterances.  Instead, our best bet is to cling to the One who warned us to sin no more, while also assuring us that His burden is light, and His yoke is easy.

What better day than Spy Wednesday to think of how much we've sold out the Faith, for no other reason than accommodating a modern Sodom and Gomorrah?