We are finally here at the best part of this scripture, the one verse that turned my world upside down and fueled my desire to stay sexually pure over the past two decades. I have walked you through some painful Scriptures up until now. Now here is the payoff. “To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations…” (Revelation 2:26).
I am a Jesus guy. I know He died for all sin and will immediately forgive a repentant heart. However, the stubborn will encounter long-term consequences like STD’s, pregnancies outside of wedlock, lawsuits, job loss, or removal from ministry for a season. And that’s not all…“I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds” (Revelation 2:23).
For more than three decades now, I have counseled men with all types of sexual sins and addictions. I have the rare opportunity to watch God work on both sides of His conviction. When people repent, grace is given and rarely are there significant consequences in their lives. However, if they refuse, the “spanking” often leads to disgrace and sometimes public exposure. The result of refusing is tremendous pain for that person and often those that love him.
In the Book of Revelation, Jezebel was most likely some kind of Sunday school teacher or cell group leader in the church. It seems as if she was a Christian, not some cultural “rock star” perverting the people—she was in the church. She taught duplicity and compromise, a “Jesus and immorality” gospel. Her doctrine said that you could be a Christian, sleep around and do whatever you wanted to sexually. She certainly taught that individuals were in charge of their sexuality, not God, and they were free to do as they pleased. However, it appears as if this Jezebel was still in the early stages of her teaching. Since the Lord knows there is only one end to this kind of sin—destruction—he offered an olive branch. “I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling” (Revelation 2:21).
God does not tolerate sexual sin. He never has and He never will. And there are plenty of good reasons for it. This particular sin is very harmful on several levels. Not only does it destroy the individual’s soul and spirit, it also is an action very difficult to erase. Once you have an affair, you can never “undo it.” It is now a part of you, forever. You can be forgiven, but you cannot erase past actions. It has dire effects on the family, causing divorce, child abandonment and a whole host of other unintended consequences. And when the family breaks down, whole societies break down.
He continues, “Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols” (Revelation 2:20).
I want to start this study and step back in time and share something with you that forever changed my perspective. A while back, I was quietly reading the Scriptures, when something amazing happened. A verse suddenly jumped out at me. You know what I mean—one of those moments when time stands still and it appears as if the words are alive, coming off the page. I became so excited I had to get up and walk around. I blurted out, “Oh wow, God, this is good, this is amazing.” Remember, I already had several degrees in theology, so I felt as if I had seen it all, knew every Scripture there was on sexual immorality. But this was different. I was now seeing exactly what the enemy was after with every person and church—and he could only get it through sexual compromise.
The fact that the man described in this passage fell for her lies says it all. He didn’t follow God’s principles or wisdom. He followed her. Our naive man has now made himself a victim of the seductress; it will cost him his life. Many men have wept in my office from the pain they suffered after awakening from the fog of their lustful encounter with a willing seductress.
My husband is not home; he has gone on a long journey. He took his purse filled with money and will not be home till full moon. -Proverbs 7:19-20
So I came out to meet you; I looked for you and have found you! -Proverbs 7:15
Now we are going to delve deeper into the seductress mind-set. Knowing what she says to the man whom she is victimizing is priceless because it informs you of her true heart.
She is loud and defiant, her feet never stay at home; now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks. -Proverbs 7:11-12
Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.b -Proverbs 7:10
At the window of my house I looked out through the lattice. I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who lacked judgment. He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in the direction of her house at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in. -Proverbs 7:6-9
I want to take a moment and introduce you to the mind and heart of the seductress. As a young man, I met this type of woman many times. As a therapist I have happily witnessed the seductress heal and recover. But I have also heard hundreds of stories of men who were ravaged by her.
A very important conversation about male sexuality is the issue of seduction. The destructive power of seduction can lead a good man down a wrong path and cause him to lose his sexual integrity.