Revelation 2:22
22 Behold,[idou] I[ego] will cast[ballo] her[autos] into[eis] a bed,[kline]
and[kai] them that commit adultery[moicheuo] with[meta] her[autos] into[eis] great[megas] tribulation,[thlipsis] except[ean me] they repent[metanoeo] of[ek] their[autos] deeds.[ergon] KJV-Interlinear
22 'Behold, I will cast her upon
a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great
tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. NASB
You have probably heard the saying, ‘You made your
bed, now you must lay in it.’Sometimes it
is used with the phrase, ‘…sleep in it.’
And so it is with life. The pattern of life you choose for yourself, comes with repercussions, so too you must live
with the outcome of your decisions.
Here we have been studying people who have chosen
to follow the pattern of life represented by Jezebel. It is basically a pattern of life that
presumes that you can do anything you want, and still have a spiritual life
that is acceptable with God.
The only problem with that attitude is, that people then presume that anything and everything
they do is acceptable.They make up
their own rules for spirituality.They
define life in the manner that is convenient or advantageous to them. They slide into sins that they do not see as
sins.Most of which are do-gooder
activities, which they view as their spiritual works. But at the same time, people become so
involved with their own views, that they start to become defiant toward truth
and God.Then the sins become greater.
And what is the result? Well, if you have been following along in 1 Timothy, then you already know the answer to that
question. Their consciences become dysfunctional, seal over, seared shut, and
their attitudes become sealed as well.
But God gives everyone ample time to repent, to
change their ways.For those who do not,
then there is this verse.
It begins with ‘Behold.’ This is an attention getter. Granted most do not pay much attention to it,
but nonetheless God is shouting in your face.
For those who really care, they will listen. For those who could care less, then trouble
is on the horizon and waiting for them.
Once Gods grace and patience have failed to
generate a change, then tribulation seeks them out.
This is not a reference to the final seven year
period which we call the Tribulation.It
merely stands for trouble.But this trouble
is accompanied by tremendous suffering.
Remember too that we are talking about believers
who have strayed away from doctrine and have chosen to pursue a compromised
path with evil.
We already know that your first obligation as a
believer in Christ, is to pursue a bible study under an
instructor.Your obligation is to learn
and to grow up in your spiritual life.
That is something that does not happen overnight.
Failing this, then you are no different than those
who outright reject Gods mandate to learn and grow as He designed your
spiritual life to grow.You cannot make
up your own rules.And self teaching is
not an option.That opens up the door
for far too many compromised and watered down principles.
Once you have learned and grown up to maturity,
then you may be able to sustain your spiritual life, but that would place a
tremendous burden of self study onto yourself.
Very few can sustain their spiritual life on their own. Far too many believe that they can do it all
on their own, and they are the fools who will end up wondering why life has
dumped all over them.
Jezebel anticipates the harlot coming up in chapter
17, and Balaam anticipates the false prophet of Rev.
13.The policy of evil and the message
of deception, both are cunning and subtle.
And both come with severe punishment if the violator of Gods plan does
not change and comply with His plan for their life.
Life is not a walk in the park for one and all to
do as they will.That leads to evil and
nothing less.
Life comes with rules, which if followed, lead to
freedom, liberty, opportunity, prosperity, wealth, security, happiness, meaning
and purpose in ones life. Anything less, cancels all of these.
Life is a serious matter. Your entire existence depends on your
attitude toward truth, or your rejection of it.
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