Biblical Church History
Following the Hand of God and the
Hand of Satan
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Revelation 2:8-11
c.325-500 A.D.
“Much Marriage”
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I. The Commission
Rev. 2: 12
(Rev 2:12) And to the
angel of the church in
Pergamos write; These
things saith he which
hath the sharp sword
with two edges;
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II. The Character
Rev. 2: 12b
(Rev 2:12) And to the
angel of the church in
Pergamos write; These
things saith he which
hath the sharp sword
with two edges;
Smyrna
A. Power of
His Word
“Much
Marriage ”
Smyrna
B. Proxy of
His Word
“Much
Marriage ”
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III. The
Commendation
Rev. 2: 13
(Rev 2:13) I know thy works,
and where thou dwellest, even
where Satan's seat is: and thou
holdest fast my name, and hast
not denied my faith, even in
those days wherein Antipas was
my faithful martyr, who was
slain among you, where Satan
dwelleth.
(Rev 2:13) I know thy works,
and where thou dwellest,
even where Satan's seat is:
and thou holdest fast my name,
and hast not denied my faith,
even in those days wherein
Antipas was my faithful martyr,
who was slain among you,
where Satan dwelleth.
(Rev 2:13) I know thy works,
and where thou dwellest, even
where Satan's seat is: and thou
holdest fast my name, and
hast not denied my faith,
even in those days wherein
Antipas was my faithful
martyr, who was slain among
you, where Satan dwelleth.
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IV.
The
Condemnation
o
Rev. 2: 14-15
s
(Rev 2:14-15) But I have a few things
against thee, because thou hast there
them that hold the doctrine of
Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a
stumblingblock before the
children of Israel, to eat things
sacrificed unto idols, and to
commit fornication. So hast thou
also them that hold the doctrine of
the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
Smyrna
A. The
Pollution of
Balaam
“Much
Marriage ”
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2 key Elements of this Doctrine
Hsacrificed to Idols
•Eating things
•Committing fornication
 The Historical Application (90AD)
•They allowed themselves to get
involved in the worship of idols.
•They took part in the sex
fornication at the Love Goddess
Temple in forms of worship
Numbers 22-24
Numbers 25:1-9
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The Prophetical Application
•The childrenHof Israel have come to
the plains of Moab after defeating
the Amorites
•The king of Moab is worried by this
and sends for the prophet Balaam
•He offers an abundance of things in
exchange for Balaam to curse the
Israelite people
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•Balaam wants all the things offered
him by BalakHso that every time he
opens his mouth to curse them he
ends up blessing them
•So he tells Balak the only way for
these people to be cursed and die is
for God to do it.
•The book of Numbers does not
record the conversation, but through
Revelations we know that Balaam
taught Balak to cast a stumbling
block before the children of Israel
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•This stumbling block was for the
H to seduce the men
Moabite women
of Israel through fornication and to
cause them to bow down to their
gods and sacrifice to them
•The same thing has repeated itself
when Constantine married the
church to the Pagan form of worship.
The devil no longer wanted to try to
curse the church; he will get the
church to curse itself
(1Co 10:6-8) Now these things
were our examples, to the intent
we should not lust after evil
things, as they also lusted.
Neither be ye idolaters, as were
some of them; as it is written, The
people sat down to eat and drink,
and rose up to play. Neither let us
commit fornication, as some of
them committed, and fell in one
day three and twenty thousand.
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Catholic Application
H period where the
•This is the church
teaching entered the church, that the
Priest, in the midst of the service
that came to be called the Mass, has
the mystical ability to transform the
bread and the wine of the
communion into the literal Body and
Blood of Christ. And that’s how you
actually “receive” Christ
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 The Catholic Encyclopedia says…
H
• “In the celebration
of the Holy Mass,
the bread and wine are changed into
the body and blood of Christ. Its is
called transubstantiation, for the
Sacrament of the Eucharist the
substance of bread and wine do not
remain, but the entire substance of
bread is changed into the body of
Christ, and the entire substance of
wine is changed into His blood, the
species or outward semblance of
bread and wine alone remaining.”
1414 As sacrifice,
the Eucharist is
also offered in
reparation for the
sins of the living
and the dead and
to obtain spiritual
or temporal
benefits from God.
1365 Because it is the
memorial of Christ's
Passover, the Eucharist
is also a sacrifice…In
the Eucharist Christ
gives us the very body
which he gave up for us
on the cross, the very
blood which he
"poured out for many
for the forgiveness of
sins."
1367 The sacrifice of Christ and
the sacrifice of the Eucharist are
one single sacrifice: "The victim
is one and the same: the same
now offers through the ministry
of priests, who then offered
himself on the cross; only the
manner of offering is different."
"And since in this divine
sacrifice which is celebrated in
the Mass, the same Christ who
offered himself once in a bloody
manner on the altar of the cross
is contained and offered in an
unbloody manner . . . this
sacrifice is truly propitiatory.
1413 By the consecration the
transubstantiation of the bread
and wine into the Body and
Blood of Christ is brought
about. Under the consecrated
species of bread and wine
Christ himself, living and
glorious, is present in a true,
real, and substantial manner:
his Body and his Blood, with
his soul and his divinity (cf.
Council of Trent: DS 1640;
1651).
1375It is by the conversion of
the bread and wine into
Christ's body and blood that
Christ becomes present in this
sacrament…The priest, in the
role of Christ, pronounces
these words, but their power
and grace are God's. This is
my body, he says. This word
transforms the things
offered…The power of the
blessing prevails over that of
nature, because by the
blessing nature itself is
changed
Smyrna
“Much
Marriage ”
B. The
Progression
of the
Nicolaitans
(Rev 2:14-15) But I have a few things
against thee, because thou hast there
them that hold the doctrine of
Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a
stumblingblock before the children
of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto
idols, and to commit fornication. So
hast thou also them that hold the
doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which
thing I hate.
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Nicolaitians is a transliterated word
which is made H
up of two different
words
•“Nico” which means to rule over
•“laitians” which means common people
 This view was called a “deed” in the
Ephesus Church period, but is referred
to a “doctrine in the Pergamos Church
period.
 In the Ephesus period the church
hated the doctrine, but in this church
period it has become an accepted
doctrine
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V. The Counsel
Rev. 2:16
(Rev 2:16) Repent; or
else I will come unto
thee quickly, and will
fight against them
with the sword of my
mouth.
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 If these people in the Pergamos
Church periodH
had heeded the Lord’s
counsel in vs. 16 and repented, the
whole Dark Ages, with all of it’s evil
and bloodshed and death could have
been avoided.
 Notice that the warning is to the true
Church to repent, but the punishment
if they wouldn’t would be placed on
the unbelievers
• This statement proves Eternal security
• This also proves the responsibility of
the Church
Ezk 33:1-11
(Mat 22:13) Then said
the king to the servants,
Bind him hand and foot,
and take him away, and
cast him into outer
darkness; there shall be
weeping and gnashing of
teeth.
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VI. The Challenge
Rev. 2:17
(Rev 2:17) He that hath an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit saith
unto the churches; To him that
overcometh will I give to eat of
the hidden manna, and will give
him a white stone, and in the
stone a new name written, which
no man knoweth saving he that
receiveth it.
Smyrna
A. The
Promise of
manna
“Much
Marriage ”
(Exo 16:32-34) And Moses said, This is
the thing which the LORD commandeth,
Fill an omer of it to be kept for your
generations; that they may see the bread
wherewith I have fed you in the
wilderness, when I brought you forth from
the land of Egypt. And Moses said unto
Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full
of manna therein, and lay it up before
the LORD, to be kept for your
generations. As the LORD commanded
Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the
Testimony, to be kept.
(Joh 6:48-51) I am that bread of
life. Your fathers did eat manna in
the wilderness, and are dead.
This is the bread which cometh
down from heaven, that a man
may eat thereof, and not die. I am
the living bread which came
down from heaven: if any man eat
of this bread, he shall live for
ever: and the bread that I will give
is my flesh, which I will give for
the life of the world.
(Mat 26:29) But I say
unto you, I will not
drink henceforth of
this fruit of the vine,
until that day when I
drink it new with you in
my Father's kingdom.
Smyrna
B. The
Promise of
white stone
“Much
Marriage ”