My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

HE WHO SEARCHES MIND AND HEART

Revelation 2:23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.

We touched on this verse in the previous post, observing a consistency of teaching in the Word about God giving according to our works based on His searching of the mind and heart.

This general teaching of a man’s works flowing from his heart and mind is a truth all honest people give mental assent to. It is a different matter when it comes to the heart accepting it when specific instances occur in a persons life.

What do I mean?

In the theoretical world, and due to our mind craving justice, we have no qualms with works recieving appropriate judgement. Good works naturally should recieve a good reward. Bad works naturally should recieve a bad reward. This truth makes sense logically.

In the practical world, and in specific cases, our hearts and emotional sensitivities get in the way of seeing this truth worked out in our experience.

Our culture, a reflection of a societies heart, increasingly seeks to protect the wrong doer, and to punish the righteous one. There are many instances in the news where it seems justice is upside down, where the acceptance of wrong is considered right.

Isaiah spoke of the tendency of a people to call evil good and good evil.

Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

Even at the judgement of the Lord, during His humiliation in front of His accuser’s, the crowd sought the guilty and condemend the Righteous One.

Luke 23:18 But they all cried out together, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”–

So it is natural, even expected that when we come to a harsh truth such as in the Lord’s message to the church at Thyatira in Revelation 2, that we tend to shy away from such stark statements.

Statements such as…

• Revelation 2:22 ….I will throw her onto a sickbed
• Revelation 2:22 ….those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation,
• Revelation 2:23 …I will strike her children dead

We tend to admit in our minds that evil works demand justice, but then we see the reference to children being struck dead. That is a heart wrencher!

But wait. What is it to be a child of “that woman Jezebel”? What is it that this woman, and any association with her, causes such a seemingly harsh judgement of the Lord Jesus?

A few verses back provides some guidance.

Revelation 2:20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.

The church is tolerating Jezebel. This is the rebuke to the believers. Could it be a rebuke to a specific leader in the church? Maybe, for some of the ancient transcripts speak of “your woman Jezebel”, possibly referring to a leaders wife or his close associate.

As for Jezebel herself, she claims she is a prophetess, assigning God’s authority to herself. Incredible hutzpah for one to claim the authority of God as a prophetess, but seemingly an easy thing for some to assume, even in our day!

As a self styled prophetess, she influences the saints, and possibly her husband, an elder in the church, to enjoin into sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols. Immorality and idolatry? Where have we seen this attack on the faithful before? She not only teaches the mind, but seduces the heart of the saints into both of these sins for the church.

It is noteworthy to understand that both of these sins were closely associated with the trade guilds of the city this church resided in. Somewhat similar to a union nowadays, but this guild would require participation in these activities to continue finding work, and therefore make a living.

To bring this post back to our original verse, it is important to note that Jesus has a problem with the church tolerating this teaching. Bad teaching is to be rejected from the body.

But judgement was falling on Jezebel, and her children. Those children most assuredly were adherents to this sinful teaching, following this self styled sinning woman. Those within the church had to repent, or judgement would fall on them.

As an aside, if those within the church community were true believers, how does my reader understand the Lord’s reference of the Lord striking her children dead? I have addressed this topic in a past post for those who many be curious – Conditional Security – Revelation 2:18-26

One of the outcomes of this judgement is that the church would know that God is the One WHO SEARCHES MIND AND HEART. He knows what is going on in the depths of our person. Those thoughts and emotions, if allowed to fester and grow, will produce works of a similar nature, and though He is ever patient, He is not One that will allow corruption in the body forever.

Galations 6:7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

He is the ONE WHO SEARCHES MIND AND HEART. For those seeking the Lord’s will, this is a comfort, and as mentioned in our previous post, we have the mind of the Spirit, which produces the right thoughts. A blessing we surely do not deserve!

For those following after anyone else, be it a false religion, a false prophetess, or a corrupt teacher, beware. He is seaching your heart and mind even as we draw our next breath.

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I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

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