SARDIS A.D. 1520 - Tribulation (Protestant Reformation)
The character of the church at Sardis is a fair outline of the church period from A.D. 1520 – Tribulation . This is the Protestant Reformation period when Martin Luther, John Calvin, and a number of other reformers protested against the false teaching, tyranny, and claims of the Papal (Roman Catholic) Church. This came to a crisis when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the church door at Wittenberg, Germany on October 31st, 1517 A.D. These Theses were directed against baptism, absolution, indulgences, and penance.
The tragedy of the Reformation churches that earned for them the condemnation by the Lord of being “dead” was twofold:
1. They became state churches. Luther, for example, sought the approval of the political leaders, and eventually the Lutheran Church became the state church of Germany, as did others throughout Europe. The danger of this is that the church then includes the entire population, thus eliminating the need for personal acceptance of Jesus Christ and an emphasis on the individual’s relationship to God. Another danger is the tendency to please the government rather than God.
2. The Reformation churches did not sufficiently change many customs and teachings of the Church of Rome. Infant baptism was continued, although there is no scriptural verification for it. Sprinkling was also continued, and ritualism, including some elements of the sacraments, was perpetuated
The reformers swept away a lot of ritualistic and doctrinal rubbish, but fell into lifeless formalism. The churches were full of activity, but they had little that spoke of spiritual life and power. Protestantism with its divisions and deadness shows clearly how far short it comes of God’s ideal of the Church and Christianity.
PARABLE OF THE HIDDEN TREASURE (Matthew 13:44)
The man is the Lord Jesus Himself, and the treasure represents a godly remnant of believing Jews, which will exist again after the church is raptured (Psalm 135:4). They are hidden in the field, or dispersed throughout the world, and in a real sense unknown to any but God. Jesus is pictured as discovering this treasure, then going to the cross and giving all that He had to buy the world (2 Corinthians 5:19; 1 John 2:2). Redeemed Israel will be brought out of hiding when her Deliverer comes out of Zion and sets up the long-awaited Messianic Kingdom.
MYSTERY OF ISRAEL’S BLINDNESS (Romans 11:25)
The blindness is temporary, and will continue only until the fullness of the Gentiles arrives. The fullness of the Gentiles refers to the time when the last member will be added to the church, and when the completed body of Christ will be raptured home to heaven (Romans 11:16-18). Jews will be converted throughout the Tribulation Period, but the entire elect remnant will not be saved until Christ returns to earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
©2012 Kenute P. Curry. All rights reserved.
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