JUDGES, THE CHURCH AND FORESHADOWING: Part 6
Perhaps this is the song of the Philadelphia Church, of every saint in every chrich era then and today. Especially when we hear that weak thing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFOyzW5h5cM
From No King in Israel:
We learn from Jotham’s parable of the trees in Judges 9, that the spiritual men do not want a position over others; they are occupied with doing a work that ministers blessing to the saints. They emulate the example of our blessed Lord Jesus as described to us in Philippians 2:3-4. He rightly occupied a position of infinite power and authority, but in lowliness He came down and went continually lower until He endured the cross death. We should seek to consider Him and follow His example as believers in our service to God and others. A carnal man or an unsaved man will frequently seek ascendancy over others, and the desire for a position of authority is his ambition.
However, when we survey the events of history, we often see just the opposite condition. We see men wanting to be lords, ruling over others with power and force, even using the might of secular armies and political intrigue to accomplish that end. Millions of faithful believers have suffered and have been martyred under the inquisitions and impositions of power and authority by such men. It is indeed a sad history that has been recounted faithfully in many books, including “Foxe’s Book of Martyrs,” “The Pilgrim Church” by E. H. Broadbent, and “Miller’s Church History” by Andrew Miller.
A visit to Philly. Well, maybe it was the first Philly.
Re 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
(KJV)
First some history:
Pulpit Commentary
The epistle to the Church at Philadelphia. The circuit continues in the same direction. Philadelphia lies about thirty miles south-east of Sardis, on the road to Laodicea. It is said to owe its name to Attalus Philadelphus, King of Pergamum, B.C. 159-138. But it is by no means certain that he was the founder. A trustworthy tradition as to its Egyptian origin points to Ptolemy Philadelphus, who had estates in Asia Minor (Theocr., 17:88). Lying at the western edge of a district whose highly volcanic character earned it the name of Phrygia Catacecaumene, Philadelphia was constantly suffering from earthquakes (cf. ver. 12). It was destroyed along with Sardis in the catastrophe of A.D. (Tac., 'Ann.,' 2:47). But the advantages of its position, commanding the way to the pass between the Hermus valley and the Maeander valley, and the richness of its vine produce (Virgil, 'Georg.,' 2:98), seem to have induced the inhabitants to cling to the site. The coins of Philadelphia often have the head either of Bacchus or a Bacchante on one side; and it is a known fact that volcanic soil is specially favourable to vine growing. Yet in Roman times it was not equal to Ephesus or even Laodicea; and for law courts its citizens had to go to Sardis. Nevertheless, it has outlived all these three, and still continues on the same site, and perhaps within the same walls, as of old. At the close of the fourteenth century it was the last Byzantine city to surrender to the Turks, and, when it did succumb, made better terms than any of the others. To this day it retains the privilege of free Christian worship, with the use of bells for service, and processions in public - a thing allowed by the Turks in no other inland city of Asia Minor. It has a bishop and a dozen churches, and it is said that about a third of its fifteen thousand inhabitants are Christian. Its modern Turkish name is Allah Shehr, "the city of God," or, as others write and render it, Ala Shehr, "the striped city." In any case the coincidence with "the name of the city of my God" (ver. 12) is purely accidental. (For an eloquent account of Philadelphia, see Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall,' Revelation 64.) It is doubtful whether there are any local allusions in the epistle; but some have fancied that "thou hast a little power" (ver. 8) and "a pillar in the temple" (ver. 12) are such (see notes in each place). The name of "Little Athens," which Philadelphia sometimes bore, on account of its numerous temples and festivals (Acts 17:16, 22), shows that the little Christian community would have to contend with a specially vigorous form of heathenism. It had also to contend with a colony of hostile Jews, which was no doubt largely augmented after the destruction of Jerusalem, when fugitive Jews came to "worship before the feet" of the Philadelphian Church (ver. 9). Hence the epistle of Ignatius to the Philadelphians treats of Judaism as one of their chief dangers (c. 6, 8, 9.). There were men among them who questioned the authority of Gospels and Epistles, and admitted only the Old Testament Scriptures (τὰ ἀρχεῖα) as binding. Some had tried to lead even Ignatius himself astray (7.). Altogether his epistle gives a less happy picture of the Philadelphians than that which we have here, where (as in the epistle to the Church at Smyrna) the Philadelphian Church receives unmixed praise. Whether the large proportion of Old Testament language and imagery which is found in this epistle has any connexion with the Jewish colony in Philadelphia is uncertain. Perhaps most of the Christians had been originally Jews.
Form"faithful" we might add a synonym: "tenacious."
Some comments:
http://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Topical.show/RTD/cgg/ID/6007/Church-at-Philadelphia.htm
In Revelation 3:8, the phrase "open door" is being used, not so much as an opportunity, but as a reward. Young's Literal Translation shows this emphasis: "I have known thy works; lo, I have set before thee a door—opened, and no one is able to shut it, because thou hast a little power, and didst keep my word, and didst not deny my name" (emphasis ours). Christ sets before the Philadelphian an "open door" because he has only a little capacity for mighty works, and yet he still keeps God's Word and does not deny God's name by the way he lives his life. He still is able to overcome.
The door Christ opens to the Philadelphian, the door no man can shut, may well be the door to the Kingdom itself! In the Parable of the Ten Virgins, the door is open to some of the virgins and closed to others (Matthew 25:10-12). In the description of New Jerusalem, the gate is open only to those whose names are written in the Book of Life (Revelation 21:27; 22:14). Christ opens the door to the Kingdom because of the Philadelphian's faithfulness, just as He promises to keep him from the hour of trial because of his perseverance (Revelation 3:10).
God may have given him only two talents, but He knows that if he is faithful with a small amount of power, in the Kingdom he will faithfully administer all of the responsibility and effectiveness that God bestows upon him. Individually, we may only have a little "power," but if we are faithful with what we have been given, God is pleased, knowing we will also be faithful with great power. As Christ says in Luke 16:10, ". . . faithful also in much. . . ."
David C. Grabbe
Power
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
3:7-13 The same Lord Jesus has the key of government and authority in and over the church. He opens a door of opportunity to his churches; he opens a door of utterance to his ministers; he opens a door of entrance, opens the heart. He shuts the door of heaven against the foolish, who sleep away their day of grace; and against the workers of iniquity, how vain and confident soever they may be. The church in Philadelphia is commended; yet with a gentle reproof. Although Christ accepts a little strength, yet believers must not rest satisfied in a little, but strive to grow in grace, to be strong in faith, giving glory to God. Christ can discover this his favour to his people, so that their enemies shall be forced to acknowledge it. This, by the grace of Christ, will soften their enemies, and make them desire to be admitted into communion with his people. Christ promises preserving grace in the most trying times, as the reward of past faithfulness; To him that hath shall be given. Those who keep the gospel in a time of peace, shall be kept by Christ in an hour of temptation; and the same Divine grace that has made them fruitful in times of peace, will make them faithful in times of persecution. Christ promises a glorious reward to the victorious believer. He shall be a monumental pillar in the temple of God; a monument of the free and powerful grace of God; a monument that shall never be defaced or removed. On this pillar shall be written the new name of Christ; by this will appear, under whom the believer fought the good fight, and came off victorious.
And what made them carry on?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQan9L3yXjc
(I confess I would look for every chance to replay this song.)
Billy Graham, in Approaching Hoofbeats, writes that "the irony of these two letters immediately apparent...one church (Smyrna) will face terrible suffering. The other church (Philadelphia) will escaetionpe unscathed. All the assumptions we can make about suffering are tested by these short letters, Both churches seem equally faithful. Yet one will "suffer even unto death." The other will not suffer at all,"
Dr, Graham pursues this concern mentioning that John doesn't comment on Smyrna suffering and credits God when Philadelphia is protected. he takes a lesson from this in five parts:''First, expect suffering. Don't feel surprised or put upon or proud or afraid. Suffering is part an parcel of the Christian life. Second, don't look at anyone else and what she or he doesn't bear; comparsons are demoralizing. Third, recognize that it doesn't take great wealth or social influence to be faithful (note how few resources both churches had) but it does take patience and endurance. Remember one of the fruits of the Spirit is patience. Fourth, remember that one day all Earthly suffering will end and thar the second death, the eternal death of the spirit, will not touch us. Fifth, keep in mind ghat when one bears suffering, God is glorified and honored."
Like the great evangelist later related, I too often wonder why there are men and women of God, some barely grown, some eve children, who face persecution and torture while my life has barely been touched by suffering for Christ. there are tine when I am in a hurry and in thick trafic that i begin worrying about getting somewhere on time and find my temper and my mouth going over into the old me and I have to take a deep breath and recall I could be bound at a stake in the Dark Ages and slowly roasting on a fire of sodden English logs. I could br freezing to death in Communist land as one young Christian did when he refused to deny the Lord. This is what can be galling: that my fellow U.S. citizens get so strident about the evils of a country that lets them practice their faith without any if the extreme risks of other countries. Even as they sometimes tend to practice the very bigotry they would denounce.
But that hypocrisy is what marked the lost times of Judges, the worship of idols the the turning to God them the Gideon era of worshiping an idol of gold while claiming to worship God.
The Sardis era continued under Abimelech. Gideon's son by a concubine. He used his relationship with his mother's tribe to raise popular support and got named king AFTER he had killed all his brethren since they were sharing the rule of Israel at the time. Note that his father acted like a king but never let the people give him the title. The people now elected a king. The people, any people, are at risk when they name a man a leader because his family has a famous name or because she looks like the right person, not because he is chosen of God. . He was killed by a woman hurtling a millstone onto him when he waged war under a tower and he had his armorbearer slay him so it couldn't be said a woman killed him. (Judges 9) The Borgias who we mentioned before seemed to take lessons from the deceptions of the past
But then, that is one main lesson to take from the notion of foreshadowing. People keep repeating the same line of mistakes over and over, We inevitably strike out on our own path with an idea of right and wrong and we inevitably decide what is right for us is right for everybody.
But some of us end up being a bit closer to God's plan than others. Note that the church age divisions also exist side by side in every era of the church. One may seem to dominate for a time and then recede into the background, but there are Smyrna churches in abiding persecution and Ephesian churches who simply need to return to their first love and Pergamos churches that want to persecute anyone who disagrees with them and Thyatrian churches who abide all manner of "emergent" witchcraft and misdoing and Sardis churches where only a little Spiritual strength remains. We can see the conflict today of Catholic verses Protestant but also the divisions of denominations in both churches, though Catholics wouldn't call their various disagreeing sects denominations. Nor even admit readily that they exist.
Certainly one could say that of the Judges era. But then there arrive three Judges who seem to foreshadow the Philadelphia era.
Jg 10:1 And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim. {defend: or, deliver: Heb. save}
2 And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.
3 And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years.
4 And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havothjair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead. {Havothjair: or, the villages of Jair}
5 And Jair died, and was buried in Camon.
(KJV)
Notice there is no falling away between these two. A united front of the Lord's power, an easy succession, a bowing to God's will. An upsurge of good times and peace and tranquility. So...
...naturally it all went bad.
Similar to what had happened in Ephesus and in Philly apparently
8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
He praises their works. But now they have little strength; there is a weakness there but they keep the faith. That is God's strength made perfect in weakness. In that perfection He makes their worst foes fall before their feet.
The synagogue of Satan is mentioned twice in Revelation, once in Jesus’ letter to the first-century church in Smyrna and once to the church in Philadelphia. In both cases, the synagogue of Satan is opposed to the mission and message of the church.
To the church in Smyrna, Jesus says, “I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9).
To the church of Philadelphia in Asia Minor, Jesus says, “I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you” (Revelation 3:9).
In short, the synagogue of Satan was a group of unbelieving Jews who were persecuting Christians. These groups were guilty of slandering the church in Smyrna and opposing the church in Philadelphia in some way.
The majority of the persecution the New Testament church faced came from the Jewish community. Even most of the Roman persecution was an effort to appease the Jewish authorities. This is true of Pilate’s condemnation of Jesus (John 19:1–16) and Paul’s imprisonment by the Roman governors Felix (Acts 24:27) and Festus (Acts 25:16). This pattern held true throughout the Roman world in the first century. As long as Christians were considered a sect of Judaism, they were exempt from the required observance of certain aspects of Roman state religion. However, as Christians were expelled from synagogues and denounced by the Jewish leadership, Rome began to see Christianity as a new religion that did not have these same exemptions. Therefore, Christians outside the protective umbrella of the synagogue were open to Roman persecution.
The synagogue of Satan say they are Jews (the people of God), and they persecute those who believe in Jesus the Messiah (the true people of God). In reality, by rejecting the Jewish Messiah, they have renounced their status as “true” Jews, and that is why Jesus calls them “liars.” This distinction between ethnic Jews and faithful Jews is also seen in Romans 9:6 (“Not all who are descended from Israel are Israel”) and Romans 2:28–29 (“For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter”). By their persecution of the true people of God, these unbelieving Jews had become a synagogue of Satan—a gathering of people who were actually following the devil’s priorities.
Both churches are promised victory over the synagogue of Satan. This promise echoes Isaiah 60:14: “The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bow down at your feet.” In the context of Isaiah 60, an oppressed Jerusalem will be vindicated. Those who oppress her will bow down at her feet and will have to admit that she is indeed blessed by God—in the language of Revelation 3:9—that God loves her. But Isaiah 60:14 applied to these Jews and the Church is something of a reversal. In Isaiah 60, the oppressing Gentiles will bow down at the feet of Jews and admit that God loves them. In Revelation 2—3, oppressing Jews will bow down at the feet of the persecuted Church (with a significant population of Gentiles in it) and admit that God loves them. This is a striking role reversal.
Internet searches of “synagogue of Satan” produce quite a few links to sites that claim the “synagogue of Satan” refers to the Jewish people today and that promote all kinds of conspiracy theories about how the Jews run the world. Quite frankly, this is a misinterpretation and misapplication of the verses in Revelation. The synagogue of Satan refers to specific Jewish communities in Smyrna and Philadelphia that were persecuting the church, not to any modern situation. Likewise, no modern situation should be used as an interpretive tool to explain a passage firmly rooted in the first-century Roman world.
One could say the battles fought by the Judges were also against "false Jews." Actually against false Israelites. Those tribes too were spiritually deviating from God. Again, another pattern that continues throughout history.
And those enemies rose again after Jair's death.
Jg 10:6 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him.
7 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.
8 And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. {oppressed: Heb. crushed}
9 Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.
10 And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.
11 And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?
12 The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.
13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.
14 Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.
15 And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. {seemeth...: Heb. is good in thine eyes}
16 And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel. {strange...: Heb. gods of strangers} {grieved: Heb. shortened}
17 Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpeh. {gathered: Heb. cried}
18 And the people and princes of Gilead said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.
(KJV)
And they repeat the same mistake by wanting to name their new leader king as Shecham has with Abimilech. God then says,"Have I got a guy for you!" I'll let No King in Israel do the heavy lifting here:
"The Philistines, as we know, represent the impact of religious men who claim “Christian” ground, but who have never known the redemptive value of the work of Christ personally. They were in the land, but had “wandered” there (meaning of the name), and had never passed through the experiences of Israel that typify the pathway of a soul in salvation. These are two great enemies of the saints in every day, and departure from simple dependence on the Lord and His Word will always result in domination by these two elements."
Jg 11:1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. {Jephthah: Gr. Jephthae} {an harlot: Heb. a woman an harlot}
2 And Gilead's wife bare him sons; and his wife's sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of a strange woman.
3 Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him. {from: Heb. from the face}
4 And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. {in process...: Heb. after days}
5 And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob:
6 And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.
7 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?
8 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.
9 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head?
10 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words. {witness...: Heb. the hearer between us}
11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.
12 And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land?
13 And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.
14 And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon:
15 And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:
16 But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh;
17 Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh.
18 Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab.
19 And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place.
20 But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.
21 And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.
22 And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan.
23 So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it?
24 Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess.
25 And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them,
26 While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time?
27 Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.
28 Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.
29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.
30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,
31 Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. {whatsoever...: Heb. that which cometh forth, which shall come forth} {and...: or, or I will offer it, etc}
32 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.
33 And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel. {the plain: or, Abel}
(KJV)
"But there's even an eschatological perspective here. There is a day coming in the future when the whole nation Israel is going to bow before Christ, right? Romans 11, "So all Israel will be saved." Zechariah 12, "They'll look on Him whom they've pierced and mourn for Him as an only Son and a fountain of blessing will be open to Israel and their sins will be washed away." Historically, this little church saw the synagogue that persecuted Him get converted. Through the history of the church, think about it, Jewish people have been converted, they've come and bowed the knee before the church and said, "Yes, God has loved you." And I want to be in on that love. Just in modern times, in England a converted Jew named Joseph Frye had a dream of being called to reach London Jews. He labored under the London Missionary Society as a missionary to Jews for five years and founded the London society for promoting Christian knowledge among Jews. In 1842 society for the propagation of the gospel among Jews began. In 1876 the Mildmay(?) Mission to Jews, the Kilburn Mission to the Jews in 1896. By the end of the nineteenth century there was one Christian missionary for every one thousand Jews in the British Isles. And God began to give the church Jews who came down and bowed the knee and said yes, God has set His love on you, I want to be a part of that.
"I think about Europe, even in the Protestant movement in 1800 in the Netherlands, the London Jewish Society had a tremendous evangelistic outreach. In 1849 Carl Swartz established a mission college to train people to reach Jews. In 1844 the Netherlands Society for Promoting Christianity Among Jews was founded. The first mission to Jews was in Norway was in 1844, in Sweden, 1856, in Denmark, 1885, in Switzerland, 1825, in Germany, 1820 and it's gone that way through Europe to Russia, Poland, Latvia, Estonia. Alexander I was interested in converting Jews and got a converted Russian Jew by the name of Moritz to be an evangelist to his people. In Italy and Spain and Portugal and France and Belgium and Czechoslovakia between 1850 and 1900, tremendous outreach to Jews and many were converted to Christ. In Palestine in 1821 was founded the American Board of Commissioners and the London Jews Society. Jews have been coming to Christ all these years.
"In 1902 40,000 Jews in Palestine were under the direct influence of the gospel. In Asia the gospel has gone to Jews in Turkey, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, India, Persia. Over in Africa the London Jewish Society went into Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, on and on it goes.
"And we all know about America. And I'll tell you, those churches that are faithful like the church at Philadelphia are the ones the Lord gives an open door to and causes Jewish people to be attracted and bow the knee and say I want the love that God has given you.
"So He promises the faithful church, first of all, the door's open to salvation and the Kingdom, the door's open to blessing and the door's open to opportunity for service and evangelism. And the second thing I'm promising you is that your persecutors among the Jews are going to bow the knee to Jesus Christ."
Indeed, what Futurist Protestants see in this section is the church at the time of the Great Awakening and thereafter.
http://www.ushistory.org/us/7b.asp
Not all American ministers were swept up by the Age of Reason. In the 1730s, a religious revival swept through the British American colonies. JONATHAN EDWARDS, the Yale minister who refused to convert to the Church of England, became concerned that New Englanders were becoming far too concerned with worldly matters. It seemed to him that people found the pursuit of wealth to be more important than John Calvin's religious principles. Some were even beginning to suggest that predestination was wrong and that good works might save a soul. Edwards barked out from the pulpit against these notions. "God was an angry judge, and humans were sinners!" he declared. He spoke with such fury and conviction that people flocked to listen. This sparked what became known as the GREAT AWAKENING in the American colonies.
GEORGE WHITEFIELD was a minister from Britain who toured the American colonies. An actor by training, he would shout the word of God, weep with sorrow, and tremble with passion as he delivered his sermons. Colonists flocked by the thousands to hear him speak. He converted slaves and even a few Native Americans. Even religious skeptic Benjamin Franklin emptied his coin purse after hearing him speak in Philadelphia.
Soon much of America became divided. Awakening, or NEW LIGHT, preachers set up their own schools and churches throughout the colonies. PRINCETON UNIVERSITY was one such school. The OLD LIGHT ministers refused to accept this new style of worship. Despite the conflict, one surprising result was greater religious toleration. With so many new denominations, it was clear that no one religion would dominate any region.
Although the Great Awakening was a reaction against the Enlightenment, it was also a long term cause of the Revolution. Before, ministers represented an upper class of sorts. Awakening ministers were not always ordained, breaking down respect for betters. The new faiths that emerged were much more democratic in their approach. The overall message was one of greater equality. The Great Awakening was also a "national" occurrence. It was the first major event that all the colonies could share, helping to break down differences between them. There was no such episode in England, further highlighting variances between Americans and their cousins across the sea. Indeed this religious upheaval had marked political consequences.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Great-Awakening
Great Awakening, religious revival in the British American colonies mainly between about 1720 and the ’40s. It was a part of the religious ferment that swept western Europe in the latter part of the 17th century and early 18th century, referred to as Pietism and Quietism in continental Europe among Protestants and Roman Catholics and as Evangelicalism in England under the leadership of John Wesley (1703–91).
A number of conditions in the colonies contributed to the revival: an arid rationalism in New England, formalism in liturgical practices, as among the Dutch Reformed in the Middle Colonies, and the neglect of pastoral supervision in the South. The revival took place primarily among the Dutch Reformed, Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Baptists, and some Anglicans, almost all of whom were Calvinists. The Great Awakening has been seen, therefore, as a development toward an evangelical Calvinism.
The Philadelphia era in the Chirch History model suggests it was typified by evangelism. It began with revival. there were massive revivals recorded from the beginning of that era til now. the non-Christian sources quoted above suggest it was show biz as religion. Many would suggest that all religion, that is self-interested worship by those who don't know Christ, is largely show biz. What have seen in those centuries were Wesley, Moody and Finney along with those above. Plus Spurgeon. The Azusa Street Revival:
It commenced in a former African Methodist Episcopal church building located at 312 Azusa Street in Los Angeles, California. The primary leader was evangelist William J. Seymour, who came to Los Angeles to preach the apostolic faith, a teaching that combined the baptism of the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues (glossalalia), such as was experienced in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2. From the beginning, Seymour’s Apostolic Faith Mission attracted attention because of the unusual features of its worship services. As one newspaper reporter commented, “Colored people and a sprinkling of whites compose the congregation, and night is made hideous in the neighborhood by the howlings of the worshippers who spend hours swaying forth and back in a nerve-racking attitude of prayer and supplication.” Yet Seymour and his initial small group of worshippers persisted, and more people were attracted to the services. - See more at: http://www.blackpast.org/aaw/azusa-street-revival-1906-1909#sthash.Cb8LdzQG.dpuf
The following list:
First Great Awakening.
Second Great Awakening.
Third Great Awakening.
1904–1905 Welsh Revival.
Brownsville Revival.
Teachers and evangelists of toda including one quoted above, Billy Graham, who my wife believes is the last singularly popular revival figure we will see until the supreme counterfeit arrives openly on the scene.
All of that leads to say two things:
Evangelists didn't always do their due diligence and stay long enough to work with the local churches on discipling.. many of the newly saved foundered and were lost to the tares of common living,
And I included all the varied revivals from the past leading up to Billy Graham. There are many out there and a few on the various air waves who still evangelize and teach the word of God. I disagree with some of the teachings but that doesn't mean I'm final authority. We are only order to preach "Christ and Him crucified" AND make disciples of all men. The Nicene Creed seems to be the best place to reach agreement. Ask Rich Mullins when you see him up there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-61MaWETiU
Lastly, this was the great era of preaching and outreaching and it was most strong when the evangelist didn't have cameras and crewmen to pay for. The term "evangelical" has come to mean something vastly different in these times. We'll spend time on the next post when we talk about the lost church.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6NfOJl26F4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YTZq37OpMw
Perhaps this is the song of the Philadelphia Church, of every saint in every chrich era then and today. Especially when we hear that weak thing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFOyzW5h5cM
From No King in Israel:
We learn from Jotham’s parable of the trees in Judges 9, that the spiritual men do not want a position over others; they are occupied with doing a work that ministers blessing to the saints. They emulate the example of our blessed Lord Jesus as described to us in Philippians 2:3-4. He rightly occupied a position of infinite power and authority, but in lowliness He came down and went continually lower until He endured the cross death. We should seek to consider Him and follow His example as believers in our service to God and others. A carnal man or an unsaved man will frequently seek ascendancy over others, and the desire for a position of authority is his ambition.
However, when we survey the events of history, we often see just the opposite condition. We see men wanting to be lords, ruling over others with power and force, even using the might of secular armies and political intrigue to accomplish that end. Millions of faithful believers have suffered and have been martyred under the inquisitions and impositions of power and authority by such men. It is indeed a sad history that has been recounted faithfully in many books, including “Foxe’s Book of Martyrs,” “The Pilgrim Church” by E. H. Broadbent, and “Miller’s Church History” by Andrew Miller.
A visit to Philly. Well, maybe it was the first Philly.
Re 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
(KJV)
First some history:
Pulpit Commentary
The epistle to the Church at Philadelphia. The circuit continues in the same direction. Philadelphia lies about thirty miles south-east of Sardis, on the road to Laodicea. It is said to owe its name to Attalus Philadelphus, King of Pergamum, B.C. 159-138. But it is by no means certain that he was the founder. A trustworthy tradition as to its Egyptian origin points to Ptolemy Philadelphus, who had estates in Asia Minor (Theocr., 17:88). Lying at the western edge of a district whose highly volcanic character earned it the name of Phrygia Catacecaumene, Philadelphia was constantly suffering from earthquakes (cf. ver. 12). It was destroyed along with Sardis in the catastrophe of A.D. (Tac., 'Ann.,' 2:47). But the advantages of its position, commanding the way to the pass between the Hermus valley and the Maeander valley, and the richness of its vine produce (Virgil, 'Georg.,' 2:98), seem to have induced the inhabitants to cling to the site. The coins of Philadelphia often have the head either of Bacchus or a Bacchante on one side; and it is a known fact that volcanic soil is specially favourable to vine growing. Yet in Roman times it was not equal to Ephesus or even Laodicea; and for law courts its citizens had to go to Sardis. Nevertheless, it has outlived all these three, and still continues on the same site, and perhaps within the same walls, as of old. At the close of the fourteenth century it was the last Byzantine city to surrender to the Turks, and, when it did succumb, made better terms than any of the others. To this day it retains the privilege of free Christian worship, with the use of bells for service, and processions in public - a thing allowed by the Turks in no other inland city of Asia Minor. It has a bishop and a dozen churches, and it is said that about a third of its fifteen thousand inhabitants are Christian. Its modern Turkish name is Allah Shehr, "the city of God," or, as others write and render it, Ala Shehr, "the striped city." In any case the coincidence with "the name of the city of my God" (ver. 12) is purely accidental. (For an eloquent account of Philadelphia, see Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall,' Revelation 64.) It is doubtful whether there are any local allusions in the epistle; but some have fancied that "thou hast a little power" (ver. 8) and "a pillar in the temple" (ver. 12) are such (see notes in each place). The name of "Little Athens," which Philadelphia sometimes bore, on account of its numerous temples and festivals (Acts 17:16, 22), shows that the little Christian community would have to contend with a specially vigorous form of heathenism. It had also to contend with a colony of hostile Jews, which was no doubt largely augmented after the destruction of Jerusalem, when fugitive Jews came to "worship before the feet" of the Philadelphian Church (ver. 9). Hence the epistle of Ignatius to the Philadelphians treats of Judaism as one of their chief dangers (c. 6, 8, 9.). There were men among them who questioned the authority of Gospels and Epistles, and admitted only the Old Testament Scriptures (τὰ ἀρχεῖα) as binding. Some had tried to lead even Ignatius himself astray (7.). Altogether his epistle gives a less happy picture of the Philadelphians than that which we have here, where (as in the epistle to the Church at Smyrna) the Philadelphian Church receives unmixed praise. Whether the large proportion of Old Testament language and imagery which is found in this epistle has any connexion with the Jewish colony in Philadelphia is uncertain. Perhaps most of the Christians had been originally Jews.
Form"faithful" we might add a synonym: "tenacious."
Some comments:
http://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Topical.show/RTD/cgg/ID/6007/Church-at-Philadelphia.htm
In Revelation 3:8, the phrase "open door" is being used, not so much as an opportunity, but as a reward. Young's Literal Translation shows this emphasis: "I have known thy works; lo, I have set before thee a door—opened, and no one is able to shut it, because thou hast a little power, and didst keep my word, and didst not deny my name" (emphasis ours). Christ sets before the Philadelphian an "open door" because he has only a little capacity for mighty works, and yet he still keeps God's Word and does not deny God's name by the way he lives his life. He still is able to overcome.
The door Christ opens to the Philadelphian, the door no man can shut, may well be the door to the Kingdom itself! In the Parable of the Ten Virgins, the door is open to some of the virgins and closed to others (Matthew 25:10-12). In the description of New Jerusalem, the gate is open only to those whose names are written in the Book of Life (Revelation 21:27; 22:14). Christ opens the door to the Kingdom because of the Philadelphian's faithfulness, just as He promises to keep him from the hour of trial because of his perseverance (Revelation 3:10).
God may have given him only two talents, but He knows that if he is faithful with a small amount of power, in the Kingdom he will faithfully administer all of the responsibility and effectiveness that God bestows upon him. Individually, we may only have a little "power," but if we are faithful with what we have been given, God is pleased, knowing we will also be faithful with great power. As Christ says in Luke 16:10, ". . . faithful also in much. . . ."
David C. Grabbe
Power
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
3:7-13 The same Lord Jesus has the key of government and authority in and over the church. He opens a door of opportunity to his churches; he opens a door of utterance to his ministers; he opens a door of entrance, opens the heart. He shuts the door of heaven against the foolish, who sleep away their day of grace; and against the workers of iniquity, how vain and confident soever they may be. The church in Philadelphia is commended; yet with a gentle reproof. Although Christ accepts a little strength, yet believers must not rest satisfied in a little, but strive to grow in grace, to be strong in faith, giving glory to God. Christ can discover this his favour to his people, so that their enemies shall be forced to acknowledge it. This, by the grace of Christ, will soften their enemies, and make them desire to be admitted into communion with his people. Christ promises preserving grace in the most trying times, as the reward of past faithfulness; To him that hath shall be given. Those who keep the gospel in a time of peace, shall be kept by Christ in an hour of temptation; and the same Divine grace that has made them fruitful in times of peace, will make them faithful in times of persecution. Christ promises a glorious reward to the victorious believer. He shall be a monumental pillar in the temple of God; a monument of the free and powerful grace of God; a monument that shall never be defaced or removed. On this pillar shall be written the new name of Christ; by this will appear, under whom the believer fought the good fight, and came off victorious.
And what made them carry on?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQan9L3yXjc
(I confess I would look for every chance to replay this song.)
Billy Graham, in Approaching Hoofbeats, writes that "the irony of these two letters immediately apparent...one church (Smyrna) will face terrible suffering. The other church (Philadelphia) will escaetionpe unscathed. All the assumptions we can make about suffering are tested by these short letters, Both churches seem equally faithful. Yet one will "suffer even unto death." The other will not suffer at all,"
Dr, Graham pursues this concern mentioning that John doesn't comment on Smyrna suffering and credits God when Philadelphia is protected. he takes a lesson from this in five parts:''First, expect suffering. Don't feel surprised or put upon or proud or afraid. Suffering is part an parcel of the Christian life. Second, don't look at anyone else and what she or he doesn't bear; comparsons are demoralizing. Third, recognize that it doesn't take great wealth or social influence to be faithful (note how few resources both churches had) but it does take patience and endurance. Remember one of the fruits of the Spirit is patience. Fourth, remember that one day all Earthly suffering will end and thar the second death, the eternal death of the spirit, will not touch us. Fifth, keep in mind ghat when one bears suffering, God is glorified and honored."
Like the great evangelist later related, I too often wonder why there are men and women of God, some barely grown, some eve children, who face persecution and torture while my life has barely been touched by suffering for Christ. there are tine when I am in a hurry and in thick trafic that i begin worrying about getting somewhere on time and find my temper and my mouth going over into the old me and I have to take a deep breath and recall I could be bound at a stake in the Dark Ages and slowly roasting on a fire of sodden English logs. I could br freezing to death in Communist land as one young Christian did when he refused to deny the Lord. This is what can be galling: that my fellow U.S. citizens get so strident about the evils of a country that lets them practice their faith without any if the extreme risks of other countries. Even as they sometimes tend to practice the very bigotry they would denounce.
But that hypocrisy is what marked the lost times of Judges, the worship of idols the the turning to God them the Gideon era of worshiping an idol of gold while claiming to worship God.
The Sardis era continued under Abimelech. Gideon's son by a concubine. He used his relationship with his mother's tribe to raise popular support and got named king AFTER he had killed all his brethren since they were sharing the rule of Israel at the time. Note that his father acted like a king but never let the people give him the title. The people now elected a king. The people, any people, are at risk when they name a man a leader because his family has a famous name or because she looks like the right person, not because he is chosen of God. . He was killed by a woman hurtling a millstone onto him when he waged war under a tower and he had his armorbearer slay him so it couldn't be said a woman killed him. (Judges 9) The Borgias who we mentioned before seemed to take lessons from the deceptions of the past
But then, that is one main lesson to take from the notion of foreshadowing. People keep repeating the same line of mistakes over and over, We inevitably strike out on our own path with an idea of right and wrong and we inevitably decide what is right for us is right for everybody.
But some of us end up being a bit closer to God's plan than others. Note that the church age divisions also exist side by side in every era of the church. One may seem to dominate for a time and then recede into the background, but there are Smyrna churches in abiding persecution and Ephesian churches who simply need to return to their first love and Pergamos churches that want to persecute anyone who disagrees with them and Thyatrian churches who abide all manner of "emergent" witchcraft and misdoing and Sardis churches where only a little Spiritual strength remains. We can see the conflict today of Catholic verses Protestant but also the divisions of denominations in both churches, though Catholics wouldn't call their various disagreeing sects denominations. Nor even admit readily that they exist.
Certainly one could say that of the Judges era. But then there arrive three Judges who seem to foreshadow the Philadelphia era.
Jg 10:1 And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim. {defend: or, deliver: Heb. save}
2 And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.
3 And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years.
4 And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havothjair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead. {Havothjair: or, the villages of Jair}
5 And Jair died, and was buried in Camon.
(KJV)
Notice there is no falling away between these two. A united front of the Lord's power, an easy succession, a bowing to God's will. An upsurge of good times and peace and tranquility. So...
...naturally it all went bad.
Similar to what had happened in Ephesus and in Philly apparently
8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
He praises their works. But now they have little strength; there is a weakness there but they keep the faith. That is God's strength made perfect in weakness. In that perfection He makes their worst foes fall before their feet.
To the church in Smyrna, Jesus says, “I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9).
To the church of Philadelphia in Asia Minor, Jesus says, “I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you” (Revelation 3:9).
In short, the synagogue of Satan was a group of unbelieving Jews who were persecuting Christians. These groups were guilty of slandering the church in Smyrna and opposing the church in Philadelphia in some way.
The majority of the persecution the New Testament church faced came from the Jewish community. Even most of the Roman persecution was an effort to appease the Jewish authorities. This is true of Pilate’s condemnation of Jesus (John 19:1–16) and Paul’s imprisonment by the Roman governors Felix (Acts 24:27) and Festus (Acts 25:16). This pattern held true throughout the Roman world in the first century. As long as Christians were considered a sect of Judaism, they were exempt from the required observance of certain aspects of Roman state religion. However, as Christians were expelled from synagogues and denounced by the Jewish leadership, Rome began to see Christianity as a new religion that did not have these same exemptions. Therefore, Christians outside the protective umbrella of the synagogue were open to Roman persecution.
The synagogue of Satan say they are Jews (the people of God), and they persecute those who believe in Jesus the Messiah (the true people of God). In reality, by rejecting the Jewish Messiah, they have renounced their status as “true” Jews, and that is why Jesus calls them “liars.” This distinction between ethnic Jews and faithful Jews is also seen in Romans 9:6 (“Not all who are descended from Israel are Israel”) and Romans 2:28–29 (“For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter”). By their persecution of the true people of God, these unbelieving Jews had become a synagogue of Satan—a gathering of people who were actually following the devil’s priorities.
Both churches are promised victory over the synagogue of Satan. This promise echoes Isaiah 60:14: “The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bow down at your feet.” In the context of Isaiah 60, an oppressed Jerusalem will be vindicated. Those who oppress her will bow down at her feet and will have to admit that she is indeed blessed by God—in the language of Revelation 3:9—that God loves her. But Isaiah 60:14 applied to these Jews and the Church is something of a reversal. In Isaiah 60, the oppressing Gentiles will bow down at the feet of Jews and admit that God loves them. In Revelation 2—3, oppressing Jews will bow down at the feet of the persecuted Church (with a significant population of Gentiles in it) and admit that God loves them. This is a striking role reversal.
Internet searches of “synagogue of Satan” produce quite a few links to sites that claim the “synagogue of Satan” refers to the Jewish people today and that promote all kinds of conspiracy theories about how the Jews run the world. Quite frankly, this is a misinterpretation and misapplication of the verses in Revelation. The synagogue of Satan refers to specific Jewish communities in Smyrna and Philadelphia that were persecuting the church, not to any modern situation. Likewise, no modern situation should be used as an interpretive tool to explain a passage firmly rooted in the first-century Roman world.
One could say the battles fought by the Judges were also against "false Jews." Actually against false Israelites. Those tribes too were spiritually deviating from God. Again, another pattern that continues throughout history.
And those enemies rose again after Jair's death.
Jg 10:6 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him.
7 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.
8 And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. {oppressed: Heb. crushed}
9 Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.
10 And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.
11 And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?
12 The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.
13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.
14 Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.
15 And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. {seemeth...: Heb. is good in thine eyes}
16 And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel. {strange...: Heb. gods of strangers} {grieved: Heb. shortened}
17 Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpeh. {gathered: Heb. cried}
18 And the people and princes of Gilead said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.
(KJV)
And they repeat the same mistake by wanting to name their new leader king as Shecham has with Abimilech. God then says,"Have I got a guy for you!" I'll let No King in Israel do the heavy lifting here:
"The Philistines, as we know, represent the impact of religious men who claim “Christian” ground, but who have never known the redemptive value of the work of Christ personally. They were in the land, but had “wandered” there (meaning of the name), and had never passed through the experiences of Israel that typify the pathway of a soul in salvation. These are two great enemies of the saints in every day, and departure from simple dependence on the Lord and His Word will always result in domination by these two elements."
Jg 11:1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. {Jephthah: Gr. Jephthae} {an harlot: Heb. a woman an harlot}
2 And Gilead's wife bare him sons; and his wife's sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of a strange woman.
3 Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him. {from: Heb. from the face}
4 And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. {in process...: Heb. after days}
5 And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob:
6 And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.
7 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?
8 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.
9 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head?
10 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words. {witness...: Heb. the hearer between us}
11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.
12 And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land?
13 And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.
14 And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon:
15 And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:
16 But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh;
17 Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh.
18 Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab.
19 And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place.
20 But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.
21 And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.
22 And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan.
23 So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it?
24 Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess.
25 And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them,
26 While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time?
27 Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.
28 Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.
29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.
30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,
31 Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. {whatsoever...: Heb. that which cometh forth, which shall come forth} {and...: or, or I will offer it, etc}
32 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.
33 And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel. {the plain: or, Abel}
(KJV)
"Looking at Revelation 3:7-13 and what the Lord writes to the assembly in Philadelphia, we learn certain things that correspond with the story of Jephthah. We learn, for instance, that it is the Lord who opens the door in His own time, and this door provides an opportunity for His people’s service (3:7). Clearly, it was the Lord Who opened the way for Jephthah to come from exile to lead the people to battle.
"Then we also note there was a synagogue of Satan that opposed these believers (3:9), but the Lord would make those of that synagogue to come and worship at the feet of these humble believers. In the changed attitude of his brethren toward Jephthah, we see a suggestion of this same alteration and learn how God can bring about a similar change of heart to exalt His own despised people in His own time."
"Just as Philadelphia, Jephthah had only a little strength in that he exhibited no character that would have given him a place of leadership among Israel. His strength was in the Lord, who had prepared and brought him to that place. We also see that the result of Jephthah’s victory was jealousy by Ephraim that resulted in conflict between brethren rather than unity. We also cannot avoid noticing that Jephthah’s men expressed a certain form of legality in their dealings with the Ephraimites that resulted in them slaying quite a number of them at the crossing.'
"All this has its application to conditions that we would rather not think about with reference to the possible condition of the saints typified by Philadelphia, but we should acknowledge it, even though it is not very appealing. It represents a tendency toward legalism that sadly has been seen in the history of the recovery of truth, a legalism that would impose stringent requirements on others and judge them severely, without love or grace, on those grounds. Even in days of recovery of truth and with the exercise to carry it out through faithfulness to God, elements of behavior can exist that are contrary to the high ground that we profess to hold."
I tend to diverge here. Philadelphia meaning "brotherly love" seems to have no such Ephesus suggestion in its letter. But they were from both Gentile and Jewish origins, both having false religious backgrounds that had to be overcome to serve the Lord even as Jephthah had his false origins,
But what of that future Philadelphia? Futurists are certain it had mixed origins, too, melded from all those denominations.
First let's touch again on those false Jews. From the Grace to You radio broadcast of John MacArthur:
But what of that future Philadelphia? Futurists are certain it had mixed origins, too, melded from all those denominations.
First let's touch again on those false Jews. From the Grace to You radio broadcast of John MacArthur:
"I think about Europe, even in the Protestant movement in 1800 in the Netherlands, the London Jewish Society had a tremendous evangelistic outreach. In 1849 Carl Swartz established a mission college to train people to reach Jews. In 1844 the Netherlands Society for Promoting Christianity Among Jews was founded. The first mission to Jews was in Norway was in 1844, in Sweden, 1856, in Denmark, 1885, in Switzerland, 1825, in Germany, 1820 and it's gone that way through Europe to Russia, Poland, Latvia, Estonia. Alexander I was interested in converting Jews and got a converted Russian Jew by the name of Moritz to be an evangelist to his people. In Italy and Spain and Portugal and France and Belgium and Czechoslovakia between 1850 and 1900, tremendous outreach to Jews and many were converted to Christ. In Palestine in 1821 was founded the American Board of Commissioners and the London Jews Society. Jews have been coming to Christ all these years.
"In 1902 40,000 Jews in Palestine were under the direct influence of the gospel. In Asia the gospel has gone to Jews in Turkey, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, India, Persia. Over in Africa the London Jewish Society went into Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, on and on it goes.
"And we all know about America. And I'll tell you, those churches that are faithful like the church at Philadelphia are the ones the Lord gives an open door to and causes Jewish people to be attracted and bow the knee and say I want the love that God has given you.
"So He promises the faithful church, first of all, the door's open to salvation and the Kingdom, the door's open to blessing and the door's open to opportunity for service and evangelism. And the second thing I'm promising you is that your persecutors among the Jews are going to bow the knee to Jesus Christ."
Indeed, what Futurist Protestants see in this section is the church at the time of the Great Awakening and thereafter.
http://www.ushistory.org/us/7b.asp
Not all American ministers were swept up by the Age of Reason. In the 1730s, a religious revival swept through the British American colonies. JONATHAN EDWARDS, the Yale minister who refused to convert to the Church of England, became concerned that New Englanders were becoming far too concerned with worldly matters. It seemed to him that people found the pursuit of wealth to be more important than John Calvin's religious principles. Some were even beginning to suggest that predestination was wrong and that good works might save a soul. Edwards barked out from the pulpit against these notions. "God was an angry judge, and humans were sinners!" he declared. He spoke with such fury and conviction that people flocked to listen. This sparked what became known as the GREAT AWAKENING in the American colonies.
GEORGE WHITEFIELD was a minister from Britain who toured the American colonies. An actor by training, he would shout the word of God, weep with sorrow, and tremble with passion as he delivered his sermons. Colonists flocked by the thousands to hear him speak. He converted slaves and even a few Native Americans. Even religious skeptic Benjamin Franklin emptied his coin purse after hearing him speak in Philadelphia.
Soon much of America became divided. Awakening, or NEW LIGHT, preachers set up their own schools and churches throughout the colonies. PRINCETON UNIVERSITY was one such school. The OLD LIGHT ministers refused to accept this new style of worship. Despite the conflict, one surprising result was greater religious toleration. With so many new denominations, it was clear that no one religion would dominate any region.
Although the Great Awakening was a reaction against the Enlightenment, it was also a long term cause of the Revolution. Before, ministers represented an upper class of sorts. Awakening ministers were not always ordained, breaking down respect for betters. The new faiths that emerged were much more democratic in their approach. The overall message was one of greater equality. The Great Awakening was also a "national" occurrence. It was the first major event that all the colonies could share, helping to break down differences between them. There was no such episode in England, further highlighting variances between Americans and their cousins across the sea. Indeed this religious upheaval had marked political consequences.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Great-Awakening
Great Awakening, religious revival in the British American colonies mainly between about 1720 and the ’40s. It was a part of the religious ferment that swept western Europe in the latter part of the 17th century and early 18th century, referred to as Pietism and Quietism in continental Europe among Protestants and Roman Catholics and as Evangelicalism in England under the leadership of John Wesley (1703–91).
A number of conditions in the colonies contributed to the revival: an arid rationalism in New England, formalism in liturgical practices, as among the Dutch Reformed in the Middle Colonies, and the neglect of pastoral supervision in the South. The revival took place primarily among the Dutch Reformed, Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Baptists, and some Anglicans, almost all of whom were Calvinists. The Great Awakening has been seen, therefore, as a development toward an evangelical Calvinism.
The Philadelphia era in the Chirch History model suggests it was typified by evangelism. It began with revival. there were massive revivals recorded from the beginning of that era til now. the non-Christian sources quoted above suggest it was show biz as religion. Many would suggest that all religion, that is self-interested worship by those who don't know Christ, is largely show biz. What have seen in those centuries were Wesley, Moody and Finney along with those above. Plus Spurgeon. The Azusa Street Revival:
It commenced in a former African Methodist Episcopal church building located at 312 Azusa Street in Los Angeles, California. The primary leader was evangelist William J. Seymour, who came to Los Angeles to preach the apostolic faith, a teaching that combined the baptism of the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues (glossalalia), such as was experienced in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2. From the beginning, Seymour’s Apostolic Faith Mission attracted attention because of the unusual features of its worship services. As one newspaper reporter commented, “Colored people and a sprinkling of whites compose the congregation, and night is made hideous in the neighborhood by the howlings of the worshippers who spend hours swaying forth and back in a nerve-racking attitude of prayer and supplication.” Yet Seymour and his initial small group of worshippers persisted, and more people were attracted to the services. - See more at: http://www.blackpast.org/aaw/azusa-street-revival-1906-1909#sthash.Cb8LdzQG.dpuf
The following list:
First Great Awakening.
Second Great Awakening.
Third Great Awakening.
1904–1905 Welsh Revival.
Brownsville Revival.
Teachers and evangelists of toda including one quoted above, Billy Graham, who my wife believes is the last singularly popular revival figure we will see until the supreme counterfeit arrives openly on the scene.
All of that leads to say two things:
Evangelists didn't always do their due diligence and stay long enough to work with the local churches on discipling.. many of the newly saved foundered and were lost to the tares of common living,
And I included all the varied revivals from the past leading up to Billy Graham. There are many out there and a few on the various air waves who still evangelize and teach the word of God. I disagree with some of the teachings but that doesn't mean I'm final authority. We are only order to preach "Christ and Him crucified" AND make disciples of all men. The Nicene Creed seems to be the best place to reach agreement. Ask Rich Mullins when you see him up there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-61MaWETiU
Lastly, this was the great era of preaching and outreaching and it was most strong when the evangelist didn't have cameras and crewmen to pay for. The term "evangelical" has come to mean something vastly different in these times. We'll spend time on the next post when we talk about the lost church.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6NfOJl26F4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YTZq37OpMw
