False Thrones & False Alters
A word given by Christ, the Spirit of prophecy. Please do not receive this as self-righteous on my part as I am a sinner saved by much grace and in need of that same wonderful grace daily. This is simply my understanding of what I’m hearing in my Spirit from the Lord in regard to a very important section of scripture speaking to the agenda of antichrist within the hour we’re living and the church’s weak response and knowledge of the stated agenda. Hopefully, this will be a good starting point for the people of God to gain a better understanding of the antichrist agenda yesterday, today and tomorrow. Please see the attachments at the end of this article for clarity and confirmation of the signs and signs through time that reveal the location and territory of Satan’s throne and alters.
Revelation 2:12-17 states, “And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, ‘These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword: “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” ’
“I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is.” Again, these are sharp words to say and it sounds like the neighborhood (“where Satan’s throne is”) wasn’t all that great either.
“And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you where Satan dwells.” Note that where Satan lives or dwells is strongly reiterated the second time.
The Bible tells us, “These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword.” Let’s say for reference that you received a letter like this and these words were the introduction – I’d imagine you’d get a little bit concerned. For instance, if I wrote a letter and said, “Dear Fred, this is Danny and I’ve got a gun.” I’d wonder if he’d really want to read the rest of the letter! Stop and think about the sharpness of these words of Christ.
“But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth”. In other words, this was not an idle threat and Jesus was going to use that sword if need be.
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”
We may raise our eyebrows at these words of Jesus, but the church at Pergamum is a very interesting and a relative example of some if not many churches that may be right in our own backyards today. The city of Pergamum still exists today as Bergama. Likewise, the city of Smyrna (the previous church addressed by Jesus in Revelation chapter 2) also or still exists today whereas Ephesus and many others do not. Have you ever wondered why some of the landmark churches no longer exist? Could it be because Jesus stated that if they didn’t repent – He would take the candlesticks from among them? What’s worthy to note, is when the church goes away – the city-state goes away with it. Jesus’ prophecy came true as there is no church there today. Yet, the church at Smyrna (known today as Ismir) still exists and has about 250 Christian churches. Is there a reason? Of the seven churches in Revelation, only those that were persecuted still exist today and the ones that were at ease, dogmatic and lost their first love for God – no longer exist in any fashion. So, Pergamum or Pergamus known today as Bergama is still there today for some very interesting reasons, even if undeserving!
The word Pergamum comes from two Greek names. Per and Gamos. You may not know it, but we still use those two words today. Per – means to mix something together and usually not very good such as ‘pervert’ or ‘perversion’ which again – is the act of putting or mixing two things together that aren’t very good. The word Gamos we still use today but as a suffix such as ‘polygamos’ and where we get the words polygamy or polygamist. Or, monogamous which means ‘marriage’ or to be married to one person. If you’re a polygamist, your ‘poly-people’ or married to multiple people. So, Pergamum or Pergamus in translation means to have mixture in your marriage.
The church is the Bride of Christ and is to be monogamous. We’re to have one bridegroom and Paul writes to the Corinthian church in 2 Cor. 11:2, “For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ”. But the church and city-state of Pergamum became mixed and mixed up. Interestingly, the mass persecution of the church eased by the 4th century and you’d assume that everything would now be great and the church would flourish. Actually, just the opposite happened. Once the persecution stopped, the church started to get into real trouble – because when people are dying for the faith, people are only going to become Christians for the right reasons!
Jesus always told us to die to self and to live for Him. But, what happened in the 4th century when Constantine became emperor? He not only cancelled out the persecutions and made it illegal to persecute Christians by the end of his reign, but actually encouraged people to become Christians and gave them tax benefits! He actually appointed Christians to high positions in the Senate and system of government. He even made pastors tax exempt! So, there were major incentives to being a Christian coming out of the persecuted age of the church when Constantine was emperor. There’s certainly nothing wrong with this! But, by the end of his life, he was also appointed leader of the church and in numerous ways this is a dangerous precedent and position to get in when the head of country is also the head of the church. At this time, the church and the state started getting really mixed and mixed up! The mixing of the church and the secular state together is not Jesus’ kingdom and Jesus’ kingdom is not a kingdom of this world. Thus, we always and historically get into sociatal tyranny and eventual bondage when the government is also the church and vice versa. The end result and tragedy is that they influenced each other with a toxic mix of secular control and dogmatic religiosity.
It’s imperative that we stay engaged as Christians in regard to socio-political and socio-economic matters that affect our lives and the lives of our children. However, we must also with vigor, differentiate the state from the church. We mustn’t mix up our politics with the kingdom of heaven and this is a tempting trap by Satan to trip is up and distract us on a daily basis… Especially for people like myself who enjoy and even feel called to a degree in political frameworks or public service at this point in my life. But again, it can’t be mixed and must be clearly understood and separated from the kingdom and church. After all, we have no record of Jesus following a particular political party. Actually, when he was given an option of picking one, he didn’t pick any of them. Jesus remained loyal to what His Father called him to do. It’s a very dangerous outcome when we mix up or attempt a marriage of two diametrically opposed kingdoms as history has proven. Joseph and Daniel are good examples of how God can use Christian men and women to fulfill his purposes in state governments that are secular humanist. Daniel didn’t protest and revolt. He simply presented godly conduct which manifested as godly wisdom which garnered godly favor with the ungodly. Once we develop favor through godly conduct – we then possess the power of influence.
In John 18:36, Jesus said: “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”
Jesus could have called his angels and nipped everything socially and politically in the bud, but rather, he stood for truth. Pergamum was a major Hellenistic center and was a center for Greek culture and religion in Asia Minor. Its culture flourished there and was economically successful. Likewise, Pergamum was the first to ally itself with the Roman emperors going way back even before the time of Christ. So, Pergamum was very loyal to the Roman emperors and was also the first place that the Roman emperors were worshipped as gods. It started there and then spread throughout the empire. As stated, it was in Pergamum that emperor worship started and so people there had agreed to worship Caesar as god. By the end of Constantine’s reign, there was sort of the same social construct because of something called the Pontificus Maximus was implemented. It’s result was that the head of the church was also the head of the state and at this time everything was so mixed together you ended up with allot of weird social stuff happening because both church and state can now render judgment and put a person in prison. The church and the state could now execute a person to death by decree. Everything was so mixed up that you had forced conversions. In other words, “you will become a Christian or I will kill you” because the state/church legislatures mandated it. At this time in history you had to become a Christian because the state made you become a Christian! Christianity is eternally lifesaving, but is this really a good societal environment to live in? Or, is this a horrible situation to live in? Then again, “Christianity” in name only is not Christianity at all. Once a religion is embedded and thoroughly mixed and rooted within the state, it’s almost impossible to remove it, yet, it’s very easy to change the dictates of the “god” by those who wield state power. This is the end time mixture of a pseudo religion becoming the state. There are religions today that are state run under the banner of Islam in which individual and gender freedoms are heavily prejudiced and spreading feverishly around the world with nobody raising an eyebrow.
Emperor worship started here and Pergamum was also according to the Greeks and then the Romans (the Greco-Roman Pantheon) the seat of Zeus. There was a massive alter to Zeus at Pergamum where people were expected to worship. For those who may not understand mythological god’s, Jupiter is the Roman equivalent of the Greek god Zeus. Rome, for the most part retained the Greek gods and just simply renamed them. But the crux of the Satanic application is that the Greeks copied Babylon in regard to their gods and false religions. Rome simply became the new surrogate mother to continue to birth the same demonic entities, doctrines and influences that were birthed in the lands of Babylon by Nimrod.
Babylon was conquered by Cyrus the Great of the Persians in 538 BC. When the Persians took control of the Babylonian kingdom, all of the Babylonian priests of their religion left Babylon and went to you guessed it – Pergamum! So, Pergamum became the bastion of the Babylonian religious system. This should present some sure warning signs as Babylon was the birthplace and seat of false religions and false gods. If we go back in scriptures before Gen 12, we’ll find that the Tower of Babel was built and the first antichrist figure (Nimrod) constructed the antichristal system of government and false worship. Nimrod’s false and counterfeit religion included the worship of corporate secularism along with fallen angels and Satan himself and it all has its origins in Babylon.
The people who knew God at the beginning and direct descendants from Adam and Eve – why would they worship any other god(s) when they clearly knew that there weren’t any? Obviously, it took a period of time for people to start worshipping these spiritual and antichristal beings. Genesis 10:10 states that the beginning of Nimrod’s ‘kingdom’ were the towns of Babel, Babylon, Erech, Akkad and Calneh in the land of Shinar.
First, what does the name Nimrod mean? It comes from the Hebrew verb marad, meaning “rebel.” Adding an “n” before the “m” it becomes an infinitive construct, “Nimrod.” (see Kautzsch 1910: 137 2b, also BDB 1962: 597). The meaning then is “The Rebel.” Thus, “Nimrod” may not be the character’s name at all. It is more likely a derisive term of a type, a representative or a system that is epitomized in rebellion against the Creator, the one true God.
So, to reiterate, the false teachers went from Babylon to Pergamum and embedded within the Greek culture which was the most advanced, influential and mobile at that time to spread it’s influence. Even though Turkey is the geographical area today, it was Greek in territory and culture at this time. We know from history that Alexander the Great conquered the whole area of Asia Minor and so it became Greek and then eventually the Romans took it over and all the Romans did as stated, was adopt the same gods and simply renamed them. Zeus was renamed Jupiter but was the same god with the same religious connotation as the highest god going all the way back to the system of Nimrod which is the same antichrist system of worship because Pergamum is where Zeus was enthroned and where the people had erected his alter.
But notice that Jesus didn’t call it Zeus’ throne. He calls it: “Satan’s throne.” We also notice that Jesus doesn’t call Pergamum a place where Zeus lives. Jesus is equating the worship of Zeus or Jupiter here in Revelation 2 as the worship of Satan. And if we follow that back to the Babylonian religions, that’s exactly what it is… It’s the worship of the devil…The worship of Zeus – the one who claims to be the number one god… Satan himself.
The actual Alter to Zeus was excavated by German archaeologists in the 1880’s in Pergamum. They dug up this huge structure that was dedicated to Zeus called Zeus’ throne, but Jesus refers to it as, “Satan’s throne.” To reiterate, Jesus doesn’t call Pergamum the place where Zeus lives. No, he calls it the place where Satan or the devil lives. It’s clear that Jesus is equating the worship of Zeus or Jupiter to worshipping Satan. Again, it’s the worship of the one who claims to be the number one god.
We can easily trace this system of worship back through Babylon and then through Greece and then through Antiochus Epiphanes as spoken by the prophet Daniel who set up the Abomination of Desolation at the Temple Mount in 165 BC and what did he do? He put Jupiter’s alter aka Zeus’ alter or, should we say, Satan’s alter on top of God’s chosen site to represent his throne! Satan always desires to place his throne above God’s throne which is why he was cast out of heaven in the first place. Isaiah 14:12 states: “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.”
So, Antiochus Epiphanes set up the throne of abomination on the Temple Mount and when Hadrian, the 14th Roman emperor came to the Temple Mount – he destroyed it and stated that Rome would rebuild it, but instead, built a temple upon it for the worship of guess who? Jupiter! Once again, a temple or throne was set up by Satan on top of God’s throne because God stated in Jeremiah. 3:17 “At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart.”
Zeus’s alter, or shall we say, “Satan’s throne” that was excavated can be seen online by a quick Google search as it’s on display in the Berlin Museum. it’s a large structure in the shape of a temple throne with colonnades (pillars) and steps leading up to it. The appearance is like a massive throne. As stated, it was excavated and piece by piece was moved to Berlin and reassembled by Italian specialists and is still on display today as of 1889 with a museum built specifically for it. Note that 1889 is the same year that a certain man named Adolf Hitler was born. Coincidence?
When Hitler finally came to power, he had an architect named Albert Speer build a monument to the Third Reich (Hitler’s governmental system) which was copied from none other than Zeus’ alter or Satan’s throne and constructed in Nuremberg. Coincidence? The antichrist spirit that moved through the great worldly centers of power from Babylon through Persia; through Greece, through Rome and then to Berlin, Germany in the 1930s. The spirit that settled in Berlin was for the destruction and annihilation of the Jewish people (coincidence?) whether Jew or Christian. It always has been and it is the antichrist sprit that emanates from Satan’s throne or alter that darkens the heart of man to commit such human atrocities.
I realize that they’re just buildings, but it’s the spirit behind them that matters. So, Jesus writes to Pergamum and says, “where Satan has his throne.” Could it be that Satan has a throne on Earth? Satan is not omnipresent. Only God is. Isaiah 66:1 says, “Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest?” Satan has locality because he’s not omnipresent. He is a spiritual being, but he’s based somewhere rather than existing in the ether. So where is he based if he’s not omnipresent? Where is he based now? 2 Thess 2:4 says, “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”
We know that he will be based on the Temple of God’s holy place. It is prophesied that he will set up camp on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Why? Because he’s no longer in Berlin and he’s always desired to have his throne above God’s and that’s always been his plan and we (the church) are a very big inconvenience to that plan. The good news is that Jesus will return and be enthroned on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem per God’s redemptive and restorative plan. Psalm 2:6 says, “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.” Again, the goal of Satan is to set up his throne above God’s for the purpose of destroying God’s people. Sadly, far too many Americans are ether ignorant or too spiritually lazy to see and understand what’s unfolding before their glazed eyes as the state methodically chisels away at religious freedoms. Satan throughout history has and will set up his alter and throne wherever he can destroy the people of God and that includes Christians and Jews and I cannot stress this enough because as the days grow shorter to Christ’s return, so will the intensity of this plan grow as it did in the early church. A secular and counterfeit religion with fanatical adherents is methodically waging war against the true church of Christ. Fact.
It seems absurd that Satan actually thinks he can change what God has ordained. But we must remember that Satan, although clever, is deranged much like Hitler was. Hitler thought he could still win World War 2 with virtually no army and the allied troops enclosing in on all sides. The original derangement syndrome didn’t start in politics and Donald Trump. It started in the mind of Satan and he’ll take as many people out with him as he can.
Continuing in Revelation 2:12 “He is the one with the sharp double edged sword.” Why does John write of a double edged sword? Because although the church and the state of humanity can create mixture, Jesus can divide them back into God’s government and order. The sharp double edged sword that comes out of the month of Jesus is always the Word of God and is always to bring a form of division. Hebrews 4:12 states, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Listen to Jesus’ words in Luke 12:51, “Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division.” God will not allow His bride to be in a mixed marriage. God will not allow His church to be married to the world and Himself at the same time. He will not allow a secular state to control His church. He will bring his Word to divide it and to recognize that we do not belong to that, but that we belong to Him. We must differentiate between being a part of something and belonging.
Rev 2:13: “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.”
We also need to understand that at this dispensation in time, the start of mixture and worldliness began manifesting in the church. You wouldn’t know if someone was a real Christian or not simply by attendence or membership. You didn’t even know if someone was a real pastor or not because everything was mixed together with many worldly elements contrary to the Bible. You wouldn’t even know if it was a real church or not and only a generation later in the 5th century, the church that had begun in the upper room was unrecognizable and resembled more of what we would recognize as Pharisees and Sadducees (a mixture of state and religion sprinkled with worldly hypocrisy and man-made doctrines). Are many churches and denominations today becoming mixed, liberal and unbiblical due to socio-political and socio-economic pressures and influences?.
Jesus again mentions “Antipas.” Who’s Antipas the faithful witness? Well, we really don’t know much of who he is, but we do know what his name means in that “he stands against all” and historical tradition has stated that he was martyred on the brazen-bull at Zeus’ alter for preaching the Gospel and casting out demons. Judging by his name and Jesus’ words, we can assume that he stood up to the mixture and worldly affairs of the church. I believe that he stood for the church of God through Jesus Christ and he was killed because of it.
So eventually, the ‘church’ itself and ironically, began persecuting its own. The church started to imprison people. The church started to wield secular type authority that hadn’t been given by the Holy Spirit according to the Word of God. And finally, the church started putting people to death!
You’ll find throughout history that God will always use people in mighty ways that stand against these satanic systems and behaviors and that seek to preserve the sanctity of the church… The Bride. When Martin Luther stood up against this very spirit, he stood up and said, “here I am, I can do no other so help me God. If you cannot convince me that it’s in God’s Word, I will not accept it.” Do you accept abortion via your vote? All Satanic influences upon society have two common denominators: Usurp God’s throne and the sacrifice of children.
So, the church brought persecution on its own and Constantine moved the capital from Rome to Constantinople. Essentially, he moved the capital from Rome back to Turkey – the original seat of Satanic power in Babylonian Shinar back to Asia Minor. The system came back home to Babylon and the original kingdom where Nimrod came from in the first place. It came back to where Antiochus Epiphanes came from in the first place. Back to where the origins of Satanic worship was in the first place. When you read or think about Rome in the Bible, it’s actually the offshoot of the original antichrist spirit seated in Asia Minor. The Roman empire lasted a thousand years longer in Turkey (Byzantium) than it did in Rome. Coincidence?
So what’s up with my focus on Turkey and is Turkey important in regard to the words of Jesus in Revelation 2? Nimrod’s original system and kingdom was in the areas we know today Syria, Iraq and Turkey and loyalty to the state was a person’s measure of spirituality. In other words, if you’re loyal to the state, you’re a good and acceptable “Christian”. But where is that in the Bible? By 325 AD, Constantine had relocated the center of the Roman empire back to Turkey. If you look at today’s Turkish flag, what is on it? It the exact same symbol for Baal worship used in the ancient and Old Testament world (a star seated in a crescent moon). There’s even coins and other social expressions that have the same symbol on them. Look, Baal is the equivalent of the devil in scripture. Baal is Satan. Now, you can argue that star seated in a crescent are just symbols and I’ll agree that they’re just symbols. But when you choose the symbol of Satan himself as the symbol of your national flag and identity, we all should have some serious questions. Obviously, this symbol represents more than the flag of Turkey and you’ll see this symbol everywhere around the world from antiquity and even moreso today. It’s the symbol of the moon god. Or, the Arabian moon god that goes by another name such as “Allah.” It’s synonymous with the name of Baal – The one who claimed to be God but wasn’t God – the false and counterfeit god. The symbol of antichrist…The symbol of the devil himself and that symbol was used in other ancient cultures to worship darkness such as the Mesopotamians, Babylonians, Assyrians and others which can also be found by quick Google searches on archaeology. But the catch is that it’s being seen today more than ever. I believe that it’s the symbol of antichrist and it’s the symbol of not only Turkey, but numerous state and secular humanist identifications. Is it coincidence? Byzantium was based in Turkey and the Ottoman empire ruled over Israel longer than any other nation. These empires from the time of Nimrod in Babylon to modern day Turkey are presented by their deeds as antichrist empires. Remember, it is always about the destruction of God’s people and these empires or kingdoms were the physical places of Satan’s alter and throne. How do we know this? It’s because of one clear historical fact – the control of Israel whether it’s the Babylonians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Canaanites, Persians, Greeks, Romans and Ottomans. The seat and purpose of the Dome of the Rock should be obvious to every believer. Again, it’s control not only over just geographical Israel, but also the people and to set up a counterfeit throne over the one true God’s throne. I believe that the scriptures point that these nations and systems will be judged as antichrist systems.
Rev 12:14 “But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality”.
Once this worldly and sensual stuff starts mixing in with the church and begins happening, and even though there were some who were standing against it – some if not many were just going along with it. But Jesus strongly addresses the doctrine of Balaam and Balak who were teaching in the church! We must realize that in context, these are church leaders and pastors. They have to be people in authority or they wouldn’t be teaching or allowed to teach in the early church. You can read all about Balaam the son of Balak in Numbers 22 and they are also mentioned 3 times in the New Testament (Ref. 1 Pet 2:15, Jude 1:11). Jesus addresses these errors and teachings and clearly states that “I’ve got this against you” to both those teaching it and those agreeing to it. Likewise, we see and experience it in the humanist church today.
Note that there’s two people – Balaam and Balak. One is a leader of a nation and the other is a prophet. In the book of Revelation you will always find physical entities or systems in groups of two. There is a beast and a second beast. There is Jannes and Jambres. There is the Antichrist and the false prophet. Satan will use sets of two as one will have legal authority while the other will have spiritual authority and will use these two persons (i.e. antichrist and false prophet) Likewise, he’s currently using the spirit of Balaam and Balak to deceive God’s people as spirits of light as if even the elect might be deceived and get them to worship Satan or its system.
Acts 14:11 “Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things”?
Balaam spoke some of the most accurate prophecies recorded in the scripture and yet his motives were dark. He was unrighteous in his heart but had incredible prophetic insight and gifting. The world will follow the Antichrist and the false prophet because of supernatural or should I say, unnatural power. Don’t be amazed at people’s miraculous powers. It’s only by their fruit that you will recognize them as true or false and not their gift. Look, the Antichrist will raise someone from the dead. The Bible states that he will be mortally wounded but will be miraculously healed. He will call down fire from heaven, and he will be able to do miraculous things – but he is the devil incarnate. Don’t be deceived by people with miraculous powers with no fruit and no mention that their abilities are by grace through Christ and Christ alone.
Balaam stunk of rotten fruit as his ministry was for personal gain. Balaam only went somewhere because he would get a reward. He only ministered if he was going to get paid for it. That should check you right there. A true minister of God will share His Words regardless of the reward. But Danny, times have changed. No. No. They have not changed and neither has God’s Word. Now, this isn’t to say that folks in the ministry should not be paid! Quite the contrary as a labourer is worth his due and we are commanded to support those who are equipping the saints. It’s the spirit and dark motives of those seeking reward and prostituting God’s Word for monetary gain or power. But a true minister will go to wherever God calls them and will bring the Word whether they’re paid or not. Likewise, the words will glorify Christ and not compromise the scriptures. Love for all people is our great commission. Yet, we are not to accept homosexuality, abortion, gossip and premarital sex with a wink.
Secondly, Balaam enticed the Israelites to sin and that it was okay… You’ll just be forgiven by the next animal sacrifice. In other words, it’s okay to have sin in the church… Just perform a couple hail Mary’s. But the words of Jesus here in Revelation state that it’s not okay to have sin in the church. The Lord himself told his churches to repent and we must understand that God will not allow sin in his church lest a form of judgment come upon it. Food sacrificed to idols (idolatry) and materialism which is running rampant in the modern church is addressed by Jesus to repent from.
The spirit behind Balaam allowed sexual immorality in the church. I sincerely believe that there’s not been a time in history since the resurrection of Christ where sexual immorality is overlooked and accepted in the church as it is today. A generation ago only 5% of people were divorced and now it is over 51%. It’s become common and the church has compromised purity as a marriage requirement. Homosexuality is made common through a barrage of media, entertainment, academia and has taken up residence in the church. The Bible is clear on homosexuality as sin and a abomination to God. Look, God loves all people but can’t allow sin in His presence and the church. Romans 1:26 says, “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error.” Sadly, the topic is rarely discussed and the questions are not asked. If it’s not the fear of losing seats and money – then what is it? Worldliness? Maybe. But let’s hope it’s not a ‘church’ ignorantly worshipping on the steps of Satan’s throne and alter.
dannykorakas 