Spiritual Hierarchy & Authority, Part 24
March 30, 2018
Last week we talked about the seven
nations and Israel’s failure to overcome them.
Each of those nations represented different ruling spirits — kosmokrator, if you will — whose total existence was purposed to
defeat the plan of God in the Earth. Just because Israel failed in the natural
to overcome doesn’t mean that somehow throughout the ages, those wicked spirits
have gone away.
In
Revelation 2 and 3, John writes seven letters to seven different Ekklesias in
Asia Minor with a description of how each of them had succumbed to one or more
of these same spirits, and gave them both a mandate and a promise to those who
would overcome.
Obviously,
I’m not going to cover ground in exhaustive detail here in the way that I have
in the past, but I have sent a lengthy manuscript for a book to be published
titled, Seven Nations, Seven Letters, to my publisher, and am
hopeful that we can see it available in the next couple of months.
Let’s
begin today by identifying the characteristics of each of the seven Ekklesias
as John saw them, and the relationship between the Ekklesia and the spirit(s)
they needed to overcome. Taking them in
order as the letters were written, they are as follows:
(1) Ephesus:
The
Fear of Evil (The Hittites)
(2) Smyrna: The Fear of
Death (The Girgashites)
(3) Pergamos: The Fear of
Man (The Hivites)
(4) Thyatira: Religion,
Hierarchy, Jezebel (The Amorites)
(5) Sardis: Arrogance,
Legalism, Threshing (The Jebusites)
(6) Philadelphia: Democracy (The Perizzites)
(7) Laodicea: Merchandising (The
Canaanites)
Some
of the areas of struggle among these seven Ekklesias are fairly obvious at
first glance. Others are not so
apparent. It is not possible for me to
deal with these comparisons in any depth in this letter, so let me simply deal
with the promises to the overcomers. The
promises, by themselves, are very clear indications of the struggles within the
Ekklesias; and the progression to the Throne should be quite obvious to all.
The
first letter to the Ekklesia in Ephesus picks up where things fell apart in the
Garden. When Adam and Eve ate of the
fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, they were immediately infected with the Fear of
Evil. Their reaction to that fear impelled
them to run and hide. They were
immediately cut off from the Tree of Life -- and the relationship of love and
unity with the Lord.
Ephesus
had departed from its first love. It had
fallen -- as Adam and Eve did -- and begun to partake once again of the Tree of
Knowledge. The Fear of Evil keeps people
from forsaking the Tree of Knowledge, and it cheats people out of a true
love-relationship with the Lord.
The
promise, therefore, to those who overcome the Fear of Evil, and the Tree of
Knowledge is,
Revelation 2:7 NASB: "To him who
overcomes, I will grant to eat of the Tree of Life, which is in the Paradise of
God."
The
implication is clear. Those who overcome
the temptation to eat of the Tree of Knowledge, those who overcome the Fear of
Evil will have an open door back into the Garden where the Tree of Life stands
ready to provide Truth instead of knowledge, Life instead of intellect, Love
instead of fear.
Letter
number two to Smyrna clearly identifies their struggle with the Fear of
Death. The Fear of Death makes thlipsis (tribulation,
pressure, fire, heat) something to avoid at all costs. This fear cheats the Bride out of having
worked within her being those things necessary to withstand all that the Enemy
can throw at her. The Fear of Death interferes
with the processes of the Holy Spirit, who is the Paraklete, and seeks to keep
the Bride from ever becoming that authoritative co-regent with Jesus Christ.
The
promise of the Lord, therefore, to the overcomer -- to the one who overcomes
the Fear of Death -- is,
Revelation 2:11: "He who
overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death."
The
second death is the final separation from the Bridegroom, for which there is no
remedy. For the one delivered from the
second death, the future events are seen as a blessing! Not something to fear or hide from.
The
third letter to Pergamos deals with the Fear of Man. Those who suffer from the Fear of Man
struggle with the acceptance of their peers.
Within the Body of Christ, a large majority of "believers" blindly
succumb to the doctrine of Balaam, not realizing what is happening. The doctrine of Balaam is epitomized in
Numbers 22, 23, and 24.
No
picture could more graphically portray the workings of the Fear of Man, how
that fear leads one to accept the teachings of men at face value and reject the
revelation that comes to each individual by and through the Holy Spirit.
The
picture of Balaam is a picture of stubbornness, obtuseness, and the
overwhelming need for acceptance by those in seats of power. Also identified in Pergamos are those who
were holding to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. The doctrine of the Nicolaitans (which we
have identified in previous Open Letters) is the obvious counterpart to the
doctrine of Balaam. That doctrine was
"Power to Man," whether it was seen in the Spirit of the
Pharisees/Perizzites/Democracy, or the Spirit of the Sadducees/Amorites/Hierarchy.
Whether
one sought after democratic government or hierarchical government, the end
result was still the same: "Power to Man." Those who suffer from The Fear of Man want to
be in power over man. This third step in
the overcoming process is extremely critical.
The
promise to those who overcome the Fear of Man is this:
Revelation 2:17 NASB: "To
him who overcomes, to him will I give of the hidden manna, and I will give him
a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he
who receives it."
The
essence of this promise, without getting into the Hebrew metaphors, is
threefold:
(1) the receiving of
revelation through the Spirit of God;
(2) an invitation to
the Marriage of the Lamb; and
(3) the promise of a
new onoma
for the overcomer.
To
the Ekklesia in Thyatira, John made it clear that they had a battle on their
hands with the Spirit of the Amorites, which had crept into their midst through
"converted Sadducees." The
Spirit of Jezebel functioned freely in their midst, seeking preeminence for
itself, usurping the true authority which comes in the place of union with
Jesus Christ, and substituting the Spirit of Divination for the Spirit of
Prophecy. It led men and women to false
allegiances and alliances with spirits whose entire being existed for the theft
of true authority and true love-relationships.
The
promise to those who overcome the Spirit of the Amorites, therefore, is true
authority. Listen to the promise:
Revelation 2:26-29, NASB: "He
who overcomes, and he who keeps my deeds until the end, to him I will give
authority over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the
vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority
from My Father; and I will give him the morning star."
The
promise of "the morning star" is a Hebrew metaphor for
"preeminence." The difference,
however, is that this is the preeminence which comes from the Lord, not that
which is freely and cheaply handed out by men and women under the influence and
control of the Spirit of the Amorites.
Sardis
was clearly struggling with legalism.
This Ekklesia was infected with the Spirit of the Jebusites. That spirit seeks to "thresh" the
Word of the Lord until it is unrecognizable.
It doles it out in spoonfuls, seeking to keep control of those under its
power.
It
is an arrogant spirit which lays claim to the onoma of the Lord, all
the while denying the power thereof. It
has a "name" that it is alive, when in truth it is dead! No picture could more clearly identify
"threshing."
Threshing
is the practice of picking scriptures apart to promote certain doctrines, and
demanding that everyone submit to the "requirements" of those
doctrines upon penalty of excommunication or being disfellowshipped. By the time the threshing is done, all of the
usable life has been removed, and it is good for nothing but that which is
intended by those who so arrogantly pass it out.
Legalism
among God's people sullies their robes of righteousness. One cannot be legalistic and righteous at the
same time. The two simply don't
mix. Either one receives and lives the
grace and love of the Lord Jesus Christ, or they return to the Law (be that the
Mosaic Law or so-called New Testament Law).
One cannot return to the Law in any form and expect to eat of the Tree
of Life, or to have their names in the Book of Life.
The
promise to those who overcome the Spirit of the Jebusites is,
Revelation 3:5:
"He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments;
and I will not erase his name from the Book of Life, and I will confess his
name before My Father, and before His angels."
The
progression in this promise is clear.
Where the promise to those who overcome the Fear of Man was the
invitation to the wedding, the promise here is
(1)
the receipt of the wedding garment,
(2)
a guarantee of your name in the Book of Life, and
(3)
an introduction by the Bridegroom to The Father.
Are
you beginning to see the progression in this process of overcoming?
The
sixth letter to Philadelphia, at first glance, does not seem to identify any
problem areas or spirits which need to be overcome. But wait!
That's only at first glance. Look
a little deeper. There is a very clear
area of need for overcoming. It is
identified in the statement,
Revelation 3:11: "Hold
fast what you have, in order that no one take your crown."
Why
such a command?
Philadelphia
had overcome everything described in the previous letters. The letter to this Ekklesia began with an
unusual appellation,
Revelation 3:7: "He who
is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, who opens and no one
shuts, and who shuts and no one opens, says this...."
The
signification of the "Key of David" indicates that they understood
clearly the promise of the return of "the Tabernacle of David."
The
"Key of David" was the understanding that David ruled in the midst of
worship. He was an unorthodox king
compared to the kings of history, and especially the kings of that era. Because worship was David's first priority,
because he demonstrated the heart of the Bridegroom for His Bride openly before
the nation with the companies of worshipers (who ministered continuously before
the simple tabernacle containing the Ark of the Covenant), the Lord made an
unprecedented promise to David,
II Samuel 7:16: "Your
house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be
established forever."
The
Ekklesia in Philadelphia had learned how to rule in the midst of worship. The authority of the Lord was clearly evident
in their midst. This made them a target
of jealous Christians who accused them of "setting up their own
kingdom." That accusation was
blatantly false.
In
an effort to defuse the criticism, they fell into the trap which has ensnared
believers in every generation since: they attempted to "democratize,"
to "spread their counsel" among many brethren so as to avoid any
appearance of "being in power."
It essentially became an apology for the power and authority of the Lord
working in and through them. Thus, they
were permitting the Spirit of the Perizzites to contaminate their Ekklesia, and
in the process, take their crown.
The
promise of the Lord, therefore, was to the point,
Revelation 3:12, NASB: "He who
overcomes (the
Spirit of the Perizzites), I will make him a pillar in the
temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write upon
him the onoma of My God, and the onoma of the city of My God, the
new Jerusalem, which comes down out of Heaven from My God, and My new onoma."
Now
do you see the progression? We have come
to the place of dwelling perpetually in His presence. The promise of the onoma of "the city
of My God, the new Jerusalem" is the guarantee that we are now a certified
part of the Bride of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Not only that, the overcomer receives His new onoma.
This
is where we have to stop for today. Next
week we will look at the seventh letter – a letter I consider to be the most
passionate and intimate of the seven letters because of the way that Jesus
addresses them.
For those of you
who’ve participated during the past three years in our Monday night Healing
Prayer Conference Call, this is just a reminder that the calls have resumed on
a once-a-month basis, the first Monday of each month. If you have a need for healing, or you have
friends in need of healing, here is the number to call: (712) 775-7035.
The Access Code is: 323859#. For Canadians who have
difficulty getting in to this number, you can call (559) 546-1400. If
someone answers and asks what your original call-in number was, you can give
them the 712 number and access code.
At the same time, in
case you are missing out on real fellowship in an environment of Ekklesia, our
Sunday worship gatherings are available by conference call – usually at about
10:45AM Pacific. That conference number
is (712) 770-4160, and the access code is 308640#. We are now making these
gatherings available by Skype. If you
wish to participate by video on Skype, my Skype ID is regner.capener. If you miss the live voice call, you can dial
(712) 770-4169, enter the same access code and listen in
later. The video call, of course, is not
recorded – not yet, anyway.
Blessings
on you!
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Temple, Texas 76504
Email Contact:
CapenerMinistries@protonmail.com
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