Hey everyone this is Pastor Bruce Mahina here from First Works Baptist Church.
I want to share a little truth with you that I've been thinking about over the last couple of days.
On Friday evenings I've been going live on Instagram teaching through the book of Revelation
and last Friday I just finished teaching through chapter number two.
Now of course we know that chapters two and three are the letters that are written to the seven
churches which are in Asia and of course we know that these were literal churches that existed at
one time. Jesus is addressing the strengths as well as the weaknesses that are found within
these local assemblies and although I believe that each of these churches existed at one time
during the first century A.D. I also believe that each and every one of these assemblies
had underlying prophetic significance to them as well and let me give you an example of this.
In chapter two at the latter end of chapter two we see Jesus addressing the church at Thyatira.
Now the church at Thyatira had some pretty big issues with it. The Bible tells us
notwithstanding I have a few things against thee because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel which
calleth herself a prophetess to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication
and to eat things sacrificed into idols. It goes on and saying I gave her space to repent of her
fornication and she repented not. So these are some pretty grievous sins that we see being
highlighted with the church at Thyatira. Number one being that they're permitting and tolerating
a woman preacher in the church and this obviously goes completely against scripture the Bible tells
us but I suffered not a woman to teach nor to usurp authority over the man but to be in
subjection. The Bible tells us that a woman ought to keep silence in the church and this is
something that they were definitely guilty of tolerating and to add insult to injury we also
see that she's seducing the servants of God to commit fornication and eat things sacrificed
unto idols and these are two very grievous sins that according to 1 Corinthians chapter 5
Merodex communication from the local assembly and then lastly he's given her space to repent
of her fornication and the Bible says that she repented not. So we obviously see that they're
prideful they're arrogant they're glorying in their sin and they're unwilling to repent
of this wickedness. Now these are some pretty severe and grievous sins that we see the church
at Thyatira committing. I mean you have women preachers fornication eating things sacrificed
unto idols pride and unrepented attitude towards God. Pretty bad. Now what is the prophetic
significance to this? Well the prophetic significance is actually found in the punishment
that they receive because it says behold I will cast her into a bed and them that commit adultery
with her into great tribulation except they repent. The punishment that they're going to receive
is that God is going to cast them into a bed and into great tribulation. Now what does this mean?
Well we have to ask ourselves this what is a bed for? Well the answer is simply this to sleeping
right? He's putting them to bed when they go through great tribulation. He's putting them to
sleep when they go through great tribulation. Now you obviously see where I'm going with this. You
know the Bible clearly tells us throughout the New Testament especially in regards to the great
tribulation that we should be awake. We should constantly be aware, alert, sober. The Bible
tells us what I say to you I say to all watch. Romans chapter 13 verse 11 says and that knowing
the time that now is high time to awake out of sleep for now is our salvation nearer than what
we believed. So the Bible constantly reiterates this importance of being awake in the Lord. Well
when you think about the famous passages dealing with the tribulation and the rapture we think of
1 Thessalonians 4 and 5 for example and the Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 1
but of the times and seasons brethren ye need not that I write unto you for yourselves know perfectly
that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night and then he says later on in the passage
but ye are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief we are children of the
light and of the day not of the night nor of darkness therefore let us not sleep as do others
but let us watch and be sober for they that sleep sleep in the night and they that are drunken are
drunken in the night but let us who are of the day be sober putting on the breastplate of faith
and love and for a helmet the hope of salvation the Bible is constantly instructing us and telling
us to be awake and of course we understand that being awake doesn't mean pay attention to what's
going on in the news you know being awake doesn't mean hey make sure you stay up to date on every
conspiracy that's out there make sure you vote for the right person make sure you know who are
the powers that be who are the puppet masters of this world that's not what it means to be awake
you know according to the Bible to be awake actually simply means to walk in the spirit
and in Romans chapter 13 it tells us this it says the night is far spent the days at hand
let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light let us walk
honestly the Bible says as in the day not in rioting and drunkenness and chambering and
wantonness and strife and envying but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for
the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof so the person according to the Bible who's asleep
is the individual who's living in wantonness and chambering they are living in drunkenness
and rioting they are living in fornication eating things sacrificed into idols they have
an unrepentant spirit they're not right with God they're backslidden and the Bible considers this
as being asleep and this is why the Bible tells us awake to righteousness and sin not for some have
not the knowledge of God I speak this to your shame so over and over again we see this concept
in this instruction to be awake to be alert you say what significance does this have to end times
Bible prophecy well when it comes to the tribulation for example we want to make sure
that as Christians we're awake that we are walking in the spirit that we're ready that we are aware
of our surroundings spiritually speaking that we're reading the Bible we're winning souls to
Christ we're congregating with the local assembly of believers we want to make sure that we're
right with God you see the punishment that Thyatira was going to receive was not that
they were going to go through great tribulation but rather that they were going to be asleep when
they did you see the worst possible way to go through a trial is to be asleep it's to not be
right with God it's to not be reading the Bible it's not to be prayed up and in the spirit that's
the worst possible condition that you can be in when you go through a trial or a tribulation
and more specifically if the rapture happens in our lifetime you know we want to make sure that
when we go through the great tribulation that we are prayed up that we're reading the Bible
that we're doing that which is pleasing unto the Lord we're not asleep at the wheel we're not
fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind think about the story of Jesus going into
the garden of Gethsemane to pray and he instructs his disciples to watch and he comes back and
finds them sleeping for sorrow and he rebukes them and tells them couldest thou not watch with
me for one hour the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak and what do we see after the
garden of Gethsemane well Jesus Christ is arrested and the disciples are scattered you know we want
to make sure that we're not as the disciples who just fell asleep at the most important time
we want to make sure that we're walking with God so when persecution arises because of the word
we don't fall away I'll finish with this Luke chapter 21 tells us take heed unto yourselves
lest your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and the cares of this life so
that that day come upon you unawares for as a snare shall it come upon all them that dwell on
the earth watch ye therefore and pray that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things
that shall come to pass and stand before the son of man the only way you could really escape these
things so to speak is by being in the spirit it's making sure that you are right with God
and so when we compare that with the church of Thyatira what's going on there well because
they're unwilling to get right with God God is basically telling them all right I'm gonna put
you to bed and you're gonna go through great tribulation asleep the bible tells us awake
thou that sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light hope that helped
God bless and have a great one