March 26: THE STAR THAT NEVER CHANGES
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” Revelation 22:16
Revelation’s message for the people of God warns them of danger in this fallen world and equips them to reach out with the absolute best News that can be told: the pure, complete, unadulterated Gospel (14:6) of the Savior’s power to save, sanctify, and bring safely to a glorious, eternal Home. The Authority with which Jesus conveys this message is well-established in the Old Testament. He is the marvelous fulfillment of the long-awaited Messiah: I see Him, but not now; I behold Him; but not near; a Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel . . . and destroy all the sons of tumult (Numbers 24:17). There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots (Isaiah 11:1). The New Testament opens with the same declaration of the identity of this Authority: Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the son of Abraham (Matthew 1:1).
Notice that the promised reward to overcomers in the church of Thyatira is the morning star (Revelation 2:28). Following the history of compromise entering the church (vv. 14-15), there came a time of blatant, open rebellion against God in the church (v.20) that continues to this very day (v.21). The Lord’s true worshipers began to go into hiding (groups such as the Waldensians and Huguenots), thus their promise of the spiritual nourishment of hidden manna (v.17 – see also 12:6,14). Reformers emerged from the church of the Middle Ages, that is, Thyatira, a.k.a. the “church of the iron monarchy of Rome”, having recognized the identity of both Christ and His deceptive opposer, for Satan had joined the Church. The Rod from the stem of Jesse is the Lord Jesus who also personally promised the overcomers from this church: “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—'He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’—as I also have received from My Father” (vv.26-27) “and I will give him the morning star” (v.28).
During the 1260 prophesied years*, various scholars with access to the Scriptures came to that proverbial fork in the road – and isn’t God’s Word meant to confront each of us for the sake of our souls? There is no doubt that all of them loved the church. Originally, those we now call reformers set out to reform the church from within, citing Scripture as their basis for reform. However, they were classified as heretics and run out of the church. Remember that even Jesus had to change churches. Compare John 2:16 and Matthew 23:38! But other scholars made an idol of the church itself, using their abilities to create preterism and futurism to deceptively counteract the Protestant Reformation. Their goal was to deflect attention from the unfettered Catholic church as the fulfillment of the prophesied period of 538 to 1798. The fracture of the Reformation (Protestant denominations and denominational pride) is depicted in Jesus’s letter to Sardis (3:1-6). The rebirth of the true remnant church is depicted next (vv.7-13), and the last-day, lukewarm church is addressed quite sharply (vv.14-22). But Jesus does not change!
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8 (see also Psalm 102:25-27; Malachi 3:6; James 1:17)
*Seven times, this period is prophesied in the Scriptures: Daniel 7:25; 12:7; Revelation 11:2,3; 13:5; 12:6,14