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).
The Lord now transitions into the real issue. It is inevitable. First, notice the use of the word tolerate. It appears this church knew what was going on, but just looked the other way. Were the leaders of this church merely putting up with open immorality? Not only that, but the woman somehow worked her way into a position of authority—a self-made leader.
This situation isn’t unique to the first century. We see the same thing happening today. Many pastors refuse to believe that the men, women, and youth in their churches are viewing pornography and engaging in immoral sexual behaviors. Either they simply don’t want to believe it or they are trapped by this same problem and feel a lack of credibility to address the problem.
Today, the word tolerate has reached an almost supreme level, as if it were a great virtue. I want to dispel this myth. No doubt, God is patient and we are all living proof of His patience. However, God is not tolerant. Otherwise, Jesus would not have had to die for the sin of the world. The same things that upset Him in Genesis, upset Him throughout Scripture. Remember, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
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