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Judging.
The leadership and some of the people in this New Testament
church ‘tolerated” her. The Greek word for “tolerate” is
APHIEMI meaning to “not forbid.” This means the
leadership of the church and some of the people were not
willing to stop her. Does this sound as though they did not
want to “judge her” or "not show her love” by
hurting her feelings? Some Christians are more concerned
about a person’s feelings than about God’s feelings.
God is treated as a second class citizen in some churches.
What God wants seems to be unimportant. Whatever their reason,
God said this was sin and it will stop.
God had been working on this woman, but she ignored Him. God
may have already brought pain and suffering into her life.
It might have been financial difficulty or illness. God does
not tell us, but He gave her time to stop and change. She
did not listen. She liked the group of people who followed
her. She may have even thought she was correct.
Important Truth.
Most of us would think that God would discipline this woman
and not her followers since she was doing the teaching. But
this is not true. Listen.
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Behold, I will cast her upon a bed of sickness, and those
who commit adultery with her into great tribulation,
unless they repent of her deeds. And I will kill her
children with pestilence; and all the churches will
know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts;
and I will give to each one of you according to your
deeds. (NASB) Rev. 2:22-23
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God is going to discipline the false teacher and her followers
unless they stop. God will even take their lives in order to
send a message to all the churches that He is serious about
this sin. Pergamum indulged in sex, but Thyatira taught that
sexual promiscuity was okay! Just because a Christian leader
says the Bible teaches something as being true does not mean
it is true.
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