Revelation 2:16: Consequence of Failure to Discipline

[JM]

Source at bottom of post.

Verse 16:[1] Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and (Is. 11:4; 2 Thess. 2:8; Rev. 1:16; 19:15, 21) will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

[Repent] That is, correct the error (Piscator). Be thou not so remiss afterwards: make use of sharper remedies, as thou dost in grave danger (Grotius). The Nicolaitans, therefore, appear openly, with the Bishop indulging, to have had intercourse, and to have performed nefarious rites with a tempting of the faithful (Pareus).

[But if not] That is, If thou doest it not (Grotius).

[I will come to thee] So that I might punish thee on account of thy negligence (Ribera). The same expression as is in Revelation 2:5 (Grotius).

Repent; thou that art guilty of conniving at such things, change thy mind and practice, and let those who have entertained these opinions, and run into those filthy practices, change their hearts and practices; or else I will come unto thee quickly; I will quickly come against thee, and punish thee: see the notes on Revelation 2:5.

[And I will fight with them (that is, thine that follow that doctrine [Ribera]: both with thee, and with them [Tirinus, similarly Pareus]) with the sword of my mouth] By threatening and imposing punishments (Pareus), by speaking a sentence of death against them (Menochius, Tirinus), and by inflicting it (Menochius); by convicting and condemning them (Pareus): even by my word, which all by itself is sufficient to destroy all the impious (Gagnæus). I will rouse Prophets in the Church that will do that which the Bishop neglects, and they will oppose the Nicolaitans and draw the people from them. Christ is said to do what He does through His Prophets, as God is said to fight, when Israel fights, Exodus 14:14, 25; Deuteronomy 1:30; 3:22; Joshua 10:42; 23:3; 2 Chronicles 20:15 (Grotius). It is an allusion to the ancient history. For both Balaam and his counsel were destroyed by the sword of the pursuing Israelite, Numbers 25:5; 31:8 (Grotius, similarly Ribera).

And will fight against them with the sword of my mouth; and fight against them by my word; either convincing them, or pronouncing sentence against them; or, by raising up other teachers, who shall preach my word more faithfully, and whose doctrine shall be like a sword to devour and to destroy them.

[1] Greek: μετανόησον· εἰ δὲ μή, ἔρχομαί σοι ταχύ, καὶ πολεμήσω μετ᾽ αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ ῥομφαίᾳ τοῦ στόματός μου.

https://www.fromreformationtoreform...5D5fQ6w5z0Gw9RmyXtsmunyUt8wrA1rZBWsa25VcAXjz8

 

[Endeavourer]

Are you referring to church discipline or self discipline?

 

[royal priest]

There is also the self-destructive principle of leaven (even a little leaven) leavening the entire lump.
When it comes to error, there ought to be a zero tolerance policy.

 

[Apologetic_Warrior]

I used to use this passage as a proof text against unconditional election, irresistible grace, and any notion of "once saved always saved". While we're on the subject of repentance, can anyone relate to ever wanting repentance, asking for repentance, but feeling unable to truly repent? How do we put to death our double mindedness the divisions and duel loyalties in our hearts, when our hearts are deceitful? Humble ourselves before God, plead with Him, and wait for a move of the Spirit is all I know.

 

[JustAsIam77]

1. Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
   That saved a wretch like me!
   I once was lost, but now am found;
   Was blind, but now I see.
2. ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
   And grace my fears relieved;
   How precious did that grace appear
   The hour I first believed.
3. Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
   I have already come;
   ’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
   And grace will lead me home.
4. The Lord has promised good to me,
   His Word my hope secures;
   He will my Shield and Portion be,
   As long as life endures.
5. Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
   And mortal life shall cease,
   I shall possess, within the veil,
   A life of joy and peace.
6. The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
   The sun forbear to shine;
   But God, who called me here below,
   Will be forever mine.
7. When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
   Bright shining as the sun,
   We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
   Than when we’d first begun.

 

[JM]

I've never liked the last verse. It doesn't seem to fit.

When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we'd first begun.

Wiki: These lines were not written by Newton. They have often been accredited to various hymns, including "Amazing Grace", since the mid-nineteenth century.

 

[JustAsIam77]

Hey brother all I know is every time I hear this song I break down and cry like a baby. Sorry I didn't mean to hijack your thread.

 

[twin1954]

Then, the Lord Jesus warns his churches of certain dangers that must be overcome
In these two chapters, he identifies six conditions which, if they are not resisted and overcome, will result in apostasy and eternal ruin. If
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these conditions are allowed to go unchecked in any local church, it will soon wither and die. It may continue to exist in name, but that is all. Christ will withdraw the light of the gospel from it. Instead of being a house of light, it will be a den of darkness.
Here are six dangerous conditions into which we are constantly tempted to fall. The world, the flesh, and the devil all strive to pull us down into these pits. If you find yourself described in these letters, the Lord Jesus warns you to repent and turn to him.
1. The first danger described is apostasy from our first love.
The Lord Jesus Christ says, ‘I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love’ (2:4). These Ephesians were zealous in good works, patient in trials and afflictions of life, and thoroughly orthodox in doctrine. But there was a dreadful decay in the matter of love to Christ! ‘A wife may be very faithful to her husband and may give evidence of bustling assiduity in all matters pertaining to him - and yet, there may be a decay in love. Her sense of duty may cause her to remain faithful in all the details of attention she bestows upon him’ (William Hendriksen). Even so, you and I may be very faithful in all the outward forms of godliness and remain perfectly orthodox in doctrine, while our hearts' love and devotion to Christ declines and decays. Are you like the Ephesians? Does your love for Christ decline? Do you find yourself more and more concerned about the cares of this world and less and less concerned about Christ? Repent! Turn anew to Christ! Renounce all but him and set your affection on him alone (Col. 3:1-3). NOTE: The correction for dead doctrine is not the absence of doctrine, emotionalism, or Pentecostalism, but steadfast commitment to Christ. Like Mary, let us take our place at his feet and have our hearts ravished with his love (Luke. 10:39-42).
2. Next we are warned not to embrace the doctrine of Balaam (2:14)
When Balak called for Balaam to curse Israel, God restrained him. Much to Balak's disgust, God forced Balaam to bless his people (Num. 22-24). Yet, Israel became involved in the worship of Baal (Num. 25:1-3). Their sin, we are told, was the result of Balaam's counsel (Num. 31:16). The doctrine of Balaam is the doctrine of
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compromise with the religion of the world. Balaam did not advise Israel to give up the worship of Jehovah. He simply told them it would be wise to accept the worship of Baal and go along with the religious customs, traditions, and practices of their pagan neighbors. Be warned! Compromise with false religion is damning to the souls of men. Compromise is the way of least resistance, the way approved of by the world, the way that is easiest on the flesh. But any compromise of God's truth is an outright denial of Christ (2 Cor. 6:14- 18). The only way to remove the offense of the gospel is to deny the gospel. We must never give any credibility to the religion of this world. Those who preach freewill deny the sovereignty of God. Those who preach the freedom of man deny the sovereignty of God. Those who preach salvation by the will, works, or worth of the sinner deny salvation by grace. Those who preach universal atonement deny the efficacy of Christ's blood. Those who preach universal grace deny the efficacy of God's saving grace. God's people must never seek agreement with such men, even in the name of peace, unity, and brotherly love. The only way those who believe the gospel can get along with those who do not is for us to deny the gospel. That we must not do!
3. We are all, by nature, tempted to embrace the doctrine of the Nicolaitans (2:15)
The Nicolaitans were a group of heretics in John's day who taught that it was alright for believers to engage in the sexual immoralities of pagan religions. They ‘committed fornication, adultery, and all uncleanness, and had their wives in common, and also ate things offered to idols’ (John Gill). They were antinomians. They were opposed to the law of God. Their doctrine was, ‘Let us sin that grace may abound. Since we are saved by grace, it does not matter how we live.’ Without question, any man who preaches salvation by grace alone will be accused of antinomianism (Rom. 3:8). It is not possible to preach redemption, justification, and sanctification by grace alone, through the merits of Christ alone, without some legalist crying, ‘That is antinomianism! That will lead to licentiousness!’ Having said that, this must also be declared - Any man who is an antinomian is a lost man. God's elect seek holiness and righteousness. They are not self-
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willed, licentious rebels. Their hearts and lives are ruled by the love of Christ. And the love of Christ prevents lawlessness.
4. The churches of Christ and individual believers are constantly pressured by the world to be tolerant of false prophets (2: 20)
The church at Thyatira was charitable, diligent in service, patient in trial, and well established in the faith of the gospel. But it was tolerant of ‘that woman Jezebel.’ There was a women in the church who claimed to be called of God and gifted as a preacher, a prophetess. Our Lord calls her ‘Jezebel’ after Ahab's wife, because she was a deceiver. Though the Word of God clearly forbids the ordination of women and the tolerance of women as preachers and teachers in the house of God (I Tim. 2:11-12), this church allowed this woman to teach and to seduce the people with her doctrine. The flesh says, ‘Do not make a fuss about false prophets. It will only cause trouble.’ The world says, ‘Judge not! To condemn the actions of another is bigotry.’ Satan tempts us to be silent, lest we create strife and division. Yet, the Bible warns us constantly to ‘beware of false prophets’ (Matt. 7:15). If they are not identified, exposed, and denounced, they will soon devour a congregation (Gal. 1:6-9; 2 Tim. 2:16-18).
5. We must guard against the tendency of our flesh toward hypocrisy, ritualism, and lifeless orthodoxy (3:1)
We are all prone to hypocrisy. We are all great pretenders by nature. Being natural born hypocrites, there is an innate tendency in man to substitute ritualism for worship, a creed for Christ, and orthodoxy for life. ‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees’ (Luke. 12:1). We must take care that we live in the pursuit of true godliness, not a mere form of godliness. We must carefully observe the ordinances of Christ (baptism and the Lord's supper), but resist the mere outward practice of religious ceremonies. We must tenaciously adhere to the doctrine of Christ, but fear that form of doctrinal purity that has no heart. All who have, practice, and hold to a form of religion without Christ are like the church at Sardis - ‘Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead!’
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6. Our Lord warns his churches of the most dangerous of all fleshly tendencies: lukewarmness, apathy, and indifference (3:15-16)
The Laodiceans were lukewarm. Nothing is more disgusting to the palate than lukewarm coffee, lukewarm stew, lukewarm gravy, or lukewarm milk. And nothing is more disgusting to Christ than lukewarm, half-hearted, apathetic, indifferent men and women. Yet, we are ever prone to become lukewarm about the things of Christ. Every faithful pastor has seen many gradually sink into disgusting apathy. Once the gospel of the grace of God made the faces of men and women light up with joy, who now are unmoved by it. Once the story of redeeming love filled them with rapturous gratitude and melted their hearts to tears, but now nothing moves them. They are lukewarm.
If we would overcome these evil tendencies of the flesh, we must obey the counsel of our compassionate Savior
There is no guesswork involved. The Lord Jesus tells us exactly what must be done. ‘Remember from whence thou art fallen’ (2:5). ‘Repent and do the first works’ (2:5). ‘That which ye already have hold fast’ (2:25). Tenaciously adhere to the truth of God, the gospel of his free and sovereign grace in Christ. ‘Be watchful and strengthen those things which remain’ (3:2). ‘Buy of me!’ (3:18). Without money and without price, by faith alone, we must buy from Christ the gold of his grace and the white raiment of his righteousness, as we did in the beginning, and anoint our eyes anew with the eye salve of the gospel.

Source: Christ in Revelation, Don Fortner
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