Let's go ahead and take our Bibles up once again and turn to the book of Revelation chapter 2. We began last week looking at the church in Thyatira. The commendation that Jesus had for them, that He knew their works, and their patience, and all these wonderful things about them, that they were growing, their last works were even better than their first works. But He tells her, I do have something against you, and it has to do with this woman who called herself a prophetess, who is teaching in the church. There's a problem to start with, but then what she was teaching was to commit fornication and eat things sacrificed unto idols. And so then Jesus tells us what he's going to do to her. So that's what we're going to focus on this afternoon. Last week we looked at that issue. of that woman who was following in the pattern of Jezebel of the Old Testament. And now we're going to come to the next few verses that tell us what Jesus' word to that lady in particular is and those cohorts around her. So let's go ahead and stand to our feet. I'm going to read Revelation chapter 2 verses 20 through 23 this afternoon because that's where we're going to be focused on within that broader text. Notwithstanding, Jesus says, I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calls herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication, and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation. except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death. And all the churches shall know that I am He which searches the reins and hearts. And I will give unto every one of you according to your works." Let's pray. Father, we thank You again for Your Word. We pray You'd help us to understand it. This is a book that has had many scratching their heads and trying to understand it, and we know that we can't understand anything spiritual except the Holy Spirit give us understanding. So open our eyes this afternoon, that as we consider this church in the first century and the issues that she was dealing with, we would be warned. We would learn to fear God and keep His commandments. Help me this afternoon to speak that which is true, that I would be faithful to the text, to clearly do the best to my ability to explain what's written herein, that anything that I say that is false or unhelpful would be quickly forgotten and laid aside, but that which the Holy Spirit says to the churches we would hear and remember. For Christ's sake we ask these things. Amen. Thank you for standing. You can be seated. I've got five points here this afternoon as we try to outline what Jesus is saying to this woman. I told you last week her name probably was not really Jezebel, but she was a real woman in the church. Many commentators say that the way the Greek is written, the indication is that woman might actually be your wife. Perhaps this was the wife of the angel of the church of Thyatira, and that was how she had received some of that prominence and ability to hold sway, bewitch the church there in Thyatira. And so Jesus tells the church that their problem is they were suffering this woman instead of dealing with her in a biblical way. But now he turns his attention to her and to those who were committing adultery with her. And you'll notice that for both of them, for this woman and for the group that was involved with this woman, Jesus has repentance in mind. He tells us in verse 21 of Revelation chapter 2, I gave her space to repent of her fornication, and she repented not. And then in verse 22, after he talks about those who commit adultery with her, except they repent of their deeds. So Jesus is talking about this woman and what he's going to do to her and her cohorts and what he's going to do to them. And in both instances he tells us the reason he's doing this is because he wants their repentance. Just as we talked about in the previous church, the point of church discipline, the point of calling out sin within the context of the local church, is because we want repentance and restoration. Because we want them to turn from sin and to turn back to Christ in faith. The indication I get from reading these verses, and I can't see the heart, and I can't see the souls, and I can't see the eternal decrees of God, but the indication that I get from these verses is that this woman and those following her seductions were Christians. And Jesus will intentionally do whatever it takes to cause them to repent and to turn back to Him. I titled this message this afternoon, Severe Mercies. And there was, I think, a book by that title, A Severe Mercy, that was written some years ago, and so that's not an original idea with me, but I thought it fit well the tenor of Jesus' message here to this woman and those committing adultery with her. How far is Jesus willing to go to bring them to repentance? What is Jesus willing to do to effect true turning from sin and to Him in these people? He's willing to make her so sick she'll be bedridden. He's willing to bring great tribulations, His words. into their lives. And that could include a host of things. Maybe they're relational tribulations. Maybe they're financial tribulations. Maybe they're political persecution tribulations. Maybe they're mental tribulations. I don't know what all is encompassed in this idea of great tribulations, but it's no small thing. And it leaves the door wide open for all kinds of implications there. And in perhaps the most breathtaking, difficult of all, He's willing to kill her children in a way that is seen to be a providential act from God, to bring her to repentance. Let's go through the five points here this afternoon. First, we see in verse 21, that Jesus gives space to repent before He begins applying pressure. Before He begins the severe mercies. He tells us in verse 21, I gave her space to repent of her fornication. There are many fathers in this world, many earthly fathers, who never correct, rebuke, or even instruct unless it's with bellowing, berating, and beating. There are many fathers who never take a time of gentle instruction, who never have quick but mellow rebukes for first-time offenses, no stern but measured warnings about what will happen if the offense continues. They merely jump down their child's throat the first time they cross their good graces, even if the child doesn't know what they did to get out of their father's good graces. Have you ever seen that happen before? Or a father or someone in an authority position just jumps down someone's throat and you sit there and think they even know what they did wrong? But they're just all over them. Jesus is not like this. Jesus instructs us with His Word and the Holy Spirit. He sends us reminders constantly through our consciences and the ordinary means of grace. Anna and I were talking on the way to church here this morning about how we need regular reminders. We need constant refreshers. We need yearly and semi-yearly sermons on why we take the Lord's Supper, and what it means, and what baptism represents. and how we're supposed to be good fathers, and how we're supposed to be good mothers, and how we're supposed to be good husbands, and how we're supposed to be good wives, and how we're supposed to be good employees, and how we're supposed to be good children, and how we're supposed to be good church members. We need these again and again and again. Pastor Michael and I can't say, well, I preached on that ten years ago, why are y'all not doing that? Jesus knows this. He knows our frailties. He knows our flesh and the weaknesses and limitations that he has, and so he constantly not only instructs us the first time, but again, and again, and again. He sends us warnings. And he's put structures in place to give us these warnings. He gives us godly parents. He gives us faithful friends. He gives us honest pastors. people in our lives who will call us out on sin and say, listen, if you keep going down this road, it's not going to go well for you. Perhaps a parent who says, I went down that road, I can tell you it's not going to go well for you. Perhaps a pastor who says, I can't tell you how many times I've sat in a counseling room with someone going through this, this is not going to go well for you. Perhaps a faithful friend who says, I've seen you going this way before and remember it didn't go well for you. Jesus is exemplary in patience, in long-suffering, in gentleness, and in goodness. He sets the tone. He sets the example. He shows us how we ought to be. And He tells us here, I gave her space. Maybe you've used terminology like that before, where somebody gets caught red-handed, and they're embarrassed. And maybe their immediate initial reaction to being caught is to be angry and defensive. And maybe you say, let's just give them some space. Let them process what they've just heard, what they've gone through. And sure enough, they come back with their tail tucked between their legs tomorrow or in an hour or next week. And you're right. I shouldn't have responded like that. You were right. What I did was wrong. And thank you for calling me out. I'm not going to keep down that path. Jesus knows we're like that. And He gives us space. He gives us time. He gives us the ability to repent when we've been in sin. He sends us people to remind us that we're in sin. He gives us His Holy Spirit to instruct us and remind us and warn us. This Jezebel has not repented. And we can no longer excuse her lack of repentance to ignorance. We can no longer excuse her lack of repentance to her immediate emotions when confronted in her sin. We can't say that she's still processing the idea of her sinfulness and her needed repentance. Jesus has given her space. I don't know what that means. Has He given her a week? Has He given her a month? Has He given her a year? I don't know. I don't know how much space He gave her. But if Jesus said He gave her space, He gave her space. She had the time she needed. She had the space she needed to repent. And at this point, her sin is clearly seen to be a fact of her stubborn intentionality to continue in her sin. So we ought to be like Jesus. We ought to give grace and we ought to give space. But there comes a time when all the space is taken up. And now it's evident and obvious that there's stubborn intentionality to this sin. And so we get our second point, which is the beginning of Jesus applying the pressure. He says, Behold, I will cast her into a bed. My second point is that many times the rod will parallel the sin. When Jesus says here, I will cast her into a bed, the whole context here is of her adulteries and fornications. And so maybe when we say, I'll cast her into a bed, immediately our mind thinks of the bed of adultery. But there's actually two very different words in Greek for a bed of cohabitation versus a bed of necessity. You're probably all familiar with Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 4. Marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled, but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. That word for bed is a completely different word than the one used here. It's a word that literally has to do with a bed that's cohabitated. It's the same word that's used in the passage Pastor Michael read this morning. My children are in bed with me." That's the same word here. It's a bed where multiple people are together. It's a bed of cohabitation. In Romans chapter 13 and verse 13, Paul says, "...let us walk honestly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying." That word chambering is the same exact word that's used here. Forbed is the same exact word that's used in Hebrews chapter 13, where he says, marriage is honorable and all, and the bed undefiled. It's translated in Romans 13 as chambering, going from chamber to chamber. Serial adulterer is the idea. Romans 9.10, and not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac, that word conceived is the same word here, or the same word used for the bed of cohabitation. So you get the idea. Conceive, chambering, marriage is honorable and all, and the bed undefiled. That's one word. There's a different word that has to do with not a bed of cohabitation, but a bed that is necessary. A bed that you cannot get out of, whether it's because of exhaustion or sickness. This bed is spoken of in Matthew chapter 9 and verse 2. And behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed. That's the same word that's used here in Revelation. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee. In Acts chapter 5 verse 15, it says, Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. Those two places are the same word that's used here in Revelation for bed. The indication, both by context and by the grammar of the word, clearly tells us that Jesus is talking about casting her into a sick bed. Casting her into a bed that she would want to get out of and cannot. Now the fact that that's clearly what's being indicated here, we cannot miss the parallel of the fact that her sins were committed in a bed. And so Jesus says, you want to continue in bed? I'll make you continue in bed. You want to continue in your adultery and your fornication? I'll cast you into a sickbed that you wish you could get out of and you cannot. I don't know if any of you ever had your parents wash your mouth out with soap when you sassed them or used dirty language. Maybe you flick your toddler's hand when he reaches out and grabs something that you've told him three or four times, no, no, no, no, no, no. And he does it again, and you flick the hand. Maybe your teenager has been out past curfew, and they get grounded. They're not allowed to leave the house now for a week because they were out too late. If you've done any of those things or if you've experienced any of these things, you understand the principle I'm talking about here. The correction matches the offense. Oh, that's what you want? I'll give you that until you're sick of it. Oh, you want to continue in that? Well, I'll make sure you continue in that. And so the punishment lines right up with their stubborn will to continue doing something. And so you say, well, then I'll have you continue doing it until you beg me to not have to do it anymore. When a punishment matches the sin in this way, we in our psyche begin to associate the circumstances of that sin with the pain of the punishment. I mentioned flicking the toddler's hand. We have a three-tiered basket sitting on our kitchen floor. And it's got onions and potatoes and fruits and vegetables and stuff in it. And as soon as Jack could crawl, for some reason, that was the first thing he went to. And he wanted to climb up on that and pull the potatoes out. Now, some of you said, well, just move it to somewhere higher. No, he needs to learn. Some things are off limits. He needs to learn. What does no-no mean? So he began telling him, no-no. You move him out of the way. He'd crawl right back to it. No-no. Move him out of the way. Crawl right back to it. So he started flicking him. Flick his hand. No, no. It got to the point where he would sit in the kitchen floor, look over at the basket, and start crying. He learned to associate the sight of that sin with the pain associated with it. And this is what Jesus does for his children. Jesus wants Jezebel to look at the bed of adultery and start crying. He wants her to look at the circumstances surrounding her sin and say, I know what that led to. The pain is not worth the pleasure. This is not to say that every trial we encounter necessarily has a corresponding sin. So if there's some trial in your life, it doesn't mean that there's some exact parallel, some sin in your life that you're blind to. If you are encountering a trial that corresponds with an unrepentant sin in your life, do not discount the fact that Jesus may be trying to get your attention. Jesus may be beginning to apply the pressure to say, I will break your stubborn heart and I will create a distaste in your mouth toward that sin. Thirdly, We see that while many times the rod parallels the punishment, Jesus does not limit himself to that, but Jesus will use varied means, as he knows best, to lead us to repentance. He says this about Jezebel's cohorts, them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. The phrase here, great tribulation, is used three times in the New Testament. Once it's used in Matthew chapter 24 in verse 21, where it seems to me to be clearly speaking about the cataclysmic end of the Old Testament system in 70 AD, where Jesus is prophesying of all the circumstances surrounding that, and he says, there will be a great tribulation in those days such as the world has never seen or ever will see after. The other two times are in the book of Revelation. Once is here in our text where he tells us these folks, Jesus will cast them into great tribulation. And the other place is in Revelation chapter 7. In Revelation chapter 7 verse 9, this is a beautiful picture of what heaven is going to be like. Every time I read this verse, it just almost takes my breath away. After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands." What an amazing word picture. But John asks, who are these people? And in verse 13, one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? And whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes." So before great tribulation, they had unwashed robes. But after coming out of great tribulation, they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." The innumerable host. And in Revelation chapter 7, he's just come off of numbering the hosts of Israel. He said 12,000 of this tribe and 12,000 of this tribe, a total of 144,000. Now that's a big number. But in contrast to that, He said the number of all of those from every tribe and tongue and kindred and people, that's innumerable. That's way beyond 144,000. So this innumerable host from every nation, kindred, people and tongue seems to me to be a clear representation of all of God's people from all time coming together to worship Him. And part of the universal description of God's people is that they've gone through great tribulation and have come out the other side washed white by the blood of the Lamb. Now this should be no surprise to us because the Scriptures are full of this kind of expression. In Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 6 we read, "...for whom the Lord loves, He chastens and scourges every son whom He receives." Every son is scourged by God. Every child receives his chastening. In 1 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 5, when the adulterous man was told to be put under discipline, Paul says it this way, "...to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." Destroy his flesh so that his spirit is saved. And we know that's what happened in 2 Corinthians. Job chapter 23 and verse 10, Job confesses, God knows the way that I take. When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. The picture here is of silver or gold being put through a hot fire, being melted to where the dross rises, and is scraped off so that he's purified at the end. 2 Corinthians chapter 4 and verses 16 through 18. For which cause we faint not, but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, in Revelation it's called great tribulation, but Paul here is comparing it to great glory, and therefore he says in comparison it's light. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." And Romans chapter 2 and verse 4, Paul calling even the Jews to see their sinfulness and call them to repentance. Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads thee to repentance? When we read the Old Testament prophecy that God is going to take that baby in its own blood, and He's going to clean it, and He's going to put white robes on it, and He's going to make it something beautiful, all we think about is the pleasant bathing. All we think about is the soft robes. All we think about is the shiny jewelry. But what we know in Scripture is that He does it through severe mercy sometimes. Sometimes the scrubbing is rough. Sometimes the purifying is hot. We know that God will work everything together for good to those who love Him, to those who are the called according to His purpose. What does that mean? Well, He's predestinated us to be conformed into the image of His Son. Every pain, every discomfort, every disappointment, Every delay, every unpleasantness in this life is at one degree or another the goodness of God leading you to repentance. It may be repentance from something like fornication and idolatry, which is what we see in our text here. But maybe it's something much more seemingly to us insignificant. Maybe it's to make us repentant from pride. or laziness, or impatience, or ingratitude, or self-reliance, or lovelessness, or fear, or faithlessness, or apathy. but God sanctifying us. He's working it off. He's leading us to repentance. His children, He's constantly working to form us into the image of Jesus Christ so that day when the innumerable host comes before Him, who are these? These are those who went through great tribulation and they've come out with white robes washed in the blood of the Lamb. Jesus did what He promised to do. We know that all who will live Righteous in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution, and it's because Jesus does this, because He loves us. Fourth, we see in our text that Jesus has the right to take anything and everything from us, including our children. He says in verse 23 of Revelation chapter 2, and I will kill her children with death. And all the churches shall know that I am He which searches their veins and hearts." Our initial response to that is, oh no, no, no, no, no, Jesus would never do that. Oh no, no, no, I don't serve a God like that. My God would never do something like that. But we'll know He'll do it because He's done it and He said He's done it and He's taken credit for it. You remember in 2 Samuel chapter 12, after David had committed the sin with Bathsheba, and Nathan comes before him and he says, Thou art the man. And David said, I've sinned, it's me. You're right. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also has put away thy sin. Thou shalt not die, how be it because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. The child also that is born unto thee shall surely die." Matthew Henry comments on that verse and he says, Behold the sovereignty of God. The guilty parent lives and the guiltless infant dies. But all souls are His, and He may, in what way He pleases, glorify Himself in His creatures." Everything we enjoy in this life is a gift from God, that He reserves the right to take back at whatsoever time He chooses. In 1 Corinthians chapter 11, when Paul was correcting the Corinthian church for their perverting of the Lord's Supper, he tells us, Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he that eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. Just so I am not misunderstood, I am not saying that anyone who has lost a child or a loved one, it was because of a sin in their life. That's not what I'm saying. Job lost all of his children and we know it was not because of his sin. Jesus taught us with the blind man that calamities can come in order for God to be glorified without any sin being involved from the parent or the child. So I'm not saying in any way, shape or form that that's always the case. However, the reverse is also clearly true. If you remain stubbornly opposed to repenting from the sins that are pointed out in your life, there is nothing that God has said is off limits for Him to bring about what He has promised to bring about. Everything we enjoy in our lives are good gifts from God that He can recall at any time He chooses. Your job, your health, your life, your children. Anything, anytime. This is an aspect about God that people do not like to acknowledge, but it is an attribute that he makes abundantly clear of himself. We hear teaching like this, we read scriptures like this, and we think, how could God do that? What kind of a sin would be so grievous that it would be worth that? Well, why don't we flip the question and ask ourselves that? What sin is so precious to you that you would rather go to that extreme before you repent than just repent the first time it's called out in your life? What sin is worth losing your job over? What sin is worth losing your health over? What sin is worth losing your life over? What sin is worth losing your family over? And yet every day we choose sins that could ultimately cost us those very things. Is it because we do not believe that God will really be that severe in His mercy to us? Do we not value repentance as highly as Jesus values repentance? Do we not see sin as grievous as Jesus sees sin? God spared not His own Son. Who art thou, O man, that replyest against God? And fifthly, and lastly this afternoon, such severe mercies are intended to make God's people fear Him. He says this in verse 23, "...I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He which searches the reins and hearts. And I will give unto every one of you according to your works." There was another place, not only in the Corinthian church, where we see some had died, some had fallen asleep because of their sin, but in Acts chapter 5, we're all familiar with the story of Ananias and Sapphira. In Acts 5.3, Peter said to Ananias, Why has Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? While it remained, was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias, hearing these words, fell down, and gave up the ghost, and great fear came on all them that heard these things. A few verses later, Sapphira agrees in her lie with her husband. Then fell she down straight forward at his feet, and yielded up the ghost. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things." The people who do not want to believe in a God like this are people who do not want to fear God. They want a God they can love, they want a God they can trust, they want a God they can enjoy, they want a God they can praise, but certainly they do not want a God that they can fear. But a scriptural survey of the fear of God leads us to believe that there is no true relationship with God devoid of fear of God. We sing Psalm chapter 19 in verse 9. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. Psalm 111 and verse 10, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A good understanding have all they that do His commandments. His praise endures forever. Proverbs 1.7, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. But fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 8.13, the fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Remember, Jesus is bringing us to have the same distaste in our mouth for our sin that He has. Hate evil, pride and arrogancy in the evil way in the froward mouth do I hate. Proverbs 10.27, the fear of the Lord prolongs days, but the years of the wicked shall be shortened. Proverbs 14.26, "...in the fear of the Lord is strong confidence, and His children shall have a place of refuge." The very next verse, Proverbs 14.27, "...the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death." If Ananias and Sapphira had feared God, they would have departed from the snares of death. They would not have lied to the Holy Ghost. If the Corinthian church had feared God, they would not have continued in their drunkenness and reveling, calling it the Lord's Supper. If this Jezebel had feared God, she would have repented when Jesus gave her space to repent. But they didn't, and they each paid. Proverbs 22, 4, By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor in life. And what about Ecclesiastes chapter 12 and verse 13? Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. What's the final conclusion? What do we conclude at the end of understanding that all of life is vanity? Fear God and keep His commandments for this is the whole duty of man. Jesus is willing to strip us of everything to bring us back to Him, and He does it with the intention not only of bringing us back to Him, but causing His church to fear Him. Causing those who hear of it to fear Him. He tells us not only in Acts that that was the result, they did fear Him, but in Revelation, He tells us that that was His intention. that all the churches shall know that I am He which searches the reins and hearts, and I will give unto every one of you according to your works." What's the conclusion of the whole matter on this topic? We must recognize that God will have, if you're His, if you're a child of God, God will have your repentance and sanctification. He'll have it. He'll affect it. He will not let you go. He'll take everything else away from you to achieve that if He has to. Let His children learn the fear of the Lord, that we may quickly bow the knee and not have to be pressed. Let those who are unconverted here today also fear the Lord. The Old Testament prophet talks of God drawing with bands of love, which is what He does. He makes the unwilling willing, but sometimes He has to break them in order to do it. Beware of how tightly He is willing to squeeze those bands of love in drawing you to Him. Do not wait to be desiring the pig's food before you run to the Father and confess your unworthiness. At the first warning, at the first instruction, while He gives you space to repent, Run to Him and take your place, not as a servant, but as a child of the Father who loves you so much that He will do for you the ultimate good. He'll give you a robe of righteousness, His own righteousness. He'll sanctify you. He'll wash you. He'll bring you to Himself, whatever it may take. Let's pray. We thank you again, Father, for your kindness to us. We see the things which are outward and temporal so often and forget about that which is eternal and lasting. But we want what you want, which is our eternal good. And so we pray that you would help us to see it. Give us necks quick to bow instead of stiff necks. Protect us from the heart of Jezebel. who would not repent though she was given space. Protect us from the bewitchment of Jezebel who would draw others after her. But that through each of the tribulations you bring us through in this life, you would continue to make us more like Jesus Christ. In whose name we pray.