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You Have Left Your First Love
by Dean Haskins But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Rev. 2:4 You have probably heard this verse numerous times in your life, and, like me, were given an explanation of its meaning that was something like thisthat the passage is speaking of "losing one's original zeal and fervor for the things of the Lord." Now, don't misunderstand me; I know that can happen in one's life. However, is that really what John was saying about the vision he had on the island of Patmos? Before delving into that question, allow me to preface the rest of my comments with an explanation, as the answer I will proffer is likely not one that you've ever heard, and probably hasn't even crossed your mindand there's a reason for that. Several years ago now, I started realizing that things I had taken for granted my entire life had been taught to me by various pastors, teachers, and/or evangelistic preachers, and didn't entirely "line up" with either scripture or the historical record. And, I know the difficulties involved when one realizes he has believed things his whole life that are simply not true. Now, I don't mean to suggest that those spiritual leaders were intentionally lying to me, for I don't believe that to be the case; however, what they taught (and believed) were, in fact, lies that were started many centuries ago, and have been repeated for so long that most people accept them, at face value, as the truth. While I do not believe there to have been any malicious intent on their parts, the fact that pure spiritual truths have been perverted over the years has resulted in a spiritual status quo, as it were, that is far from being biblically faithful. When that journey into the truth began for me, one of the primary realities I faced was that, without fully admitting, or even realizing, it, accepting those commonly embraced fallacies required leaps in logic that are, in fact, broad jumps away from even common sense. My doorway into that journey was actually "the most wonderful time of the year," or Christmas. Of course that door led me also to Easter, and then to the Fourth Commandment. Over the years, I have researched and studied those issues from a biblical and historical perspective, and have adopted what, I believe, is a scripturally faithful understanding of them. But, what does that have to do with leaving "your first love"? Let's examine what John actually said in Revelation 2 from the perspective of its prophetic warning, for we must understand that John's vision was not only of things past and present, but, most importantly, of things yet to come. Viewing his statements prophetically sheds incredible light on the current state of what we know as the church, even though the word John used was "ekklesia," which means "the called out," and not "church," which is a derivative of "Circe," who was an ancient goddessthe daughter of Baal (I bring that up because it is relevant to John's vision). Now, remember that we've been led to believe that, in stating that the church at Ephesus had left her first love, John was somehow reporting that they had lost the original fervor of their salvation. These are the things John saw: "I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary." Rev. 2:2,3 So: They toil and persevere. They cannot tolerate evil men. They recognize and identify false apostles. They endure and do not grow weary. Does this sound like people who no longer have a burning desire to serve God? I think we all know from experience that toiling, persevering, enduring, and not growing weary are distinctly tied to "desire." If the yearning to serve were not there, neither would those characteristics be. Then, John reports this from his vision: "But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its placeunless you repent." (Rev. 2:4,5) It is interesting to note that the Ephesians are told, not to try to reclaim that "lovin' feeling," but to do the deeds they did at first. Having a zeal for something is inward, and simply cannot be equated with doing deeds, or works, which are outward. The church is not told to feel a certain way again, but rather it is told to DO something that it did at first, but it no longer does. And, remember, this was a prophetic vision, and when viewed properly, it accurately describes a vast portion of today's church. So, what were the deeds that the church did at first that it no longer does? There are many passages in the New Testament that show that after Yeshua's resurrection, and even after Pentecost (which was actually the Feast of Unleavened Bread), the early church observed the Sabbath according to the Fourth Commandment, and continued observing the ordained Feasts of YHWH. Considering that the messianic symbols taught by the seven feasts are found throughout the New Testament, and that the Book of Revelation is replete with that same symbolism, it is quite simple to grasp that those are things YHWH intended to be ongoing in the life of His Son's bride. History records for us the reason the church strayed from doing those things YHWH intended to be done in perpetuity (and will be done during the Millennial Reign of Christ). Actually, there were two main reasons for the forsaking of the things of YHWH: hatred of the Jews, and syncretism with the pagans. In the fourth century, under the rule of Constantine, the Roman Catholic Church harbored bitter hatred toward the Jews, which is a sentiment that has lived in the hearts of many groups throughout history. Also, Christian emperors of Rome decreed that any Christians who converted to Judaism, or Jews who obstructed the conversion of other Jews to Christianity, would receive the death penalty. Moreover, Jews could not marry Christians, hold public office, or own slaves. To distance itself from the Jews, the Roman Catholic Church changed the official day of worship from the Sabbath (Saturday) to Sunday (the day pagans worshiped their godsspecifically, their sun gods). Additionally, the ordained feast days of YHWH were abandoned, and replaced with the pagan festivals of Christmas (Saturnalia) and Easter (interestingly, the church didn't even bother to change the pagan name of that celebration). The graven images of the pagans were brought into the church (in defiance of YHWH's commandment), and, at that point in history (the "from where you have fallen" in Rev. 2:5), the church rebelliously went down a path that more than 1700 years later, paints the practical existence of most of what calls itself the church today, both Roman Catholic and Protestant. Is it any wonder that the chosen translation of ekklesia was the name of a pagan goddess, Circe, the daughter of Baal? Human nature being what it is, we don't leave something and head into a vacuum; rather, we leave one thing to embrace something else. What is described in Revelation 2 is the portrayal of that very progressionthe church at different stages of embracing apostasy. Ephesus has forsaken the feast days and Sabbath observance; however, John's vision shows that it still eschews paganism: "Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate." The Nicolaitans can be traced back to Nimrod, who is equated with Baal worship, and who is actually the foundation of both Christmas and Easter. But, at this point, Ephesus shows the initial descent into paganism--stopping specific divinely ordained practices. Having forsaken those things of YHWH (the Sabbath and feast days), the progression in the churches shows the adoption of paganism in their worship as the replacement for the mandates of YHWH. There is vast symbolism in this passage that could encompass several volumes; however, there is something that should be primarily noted: to those churches that have left the things of YHWH and have adopted the elements of paganism, there is a call to repentance, and a consequential warning for not repenting. That consequence is the removal of the lampstand from its place. What is the lampstand, and what does it mean to remove it? What is referenced here is the temple menorah, and there is incredible symbolism being used. That menorah was not something that held candles, but was a lampstand containing seven cups that were filled with olive oil. The oil represents the Holy Spirit of YHWH, and removing the lampstand is the symbolic act of removing the Holy Spirit. But, examining that symbolism even further, John's vision addressed seven churches. Out of those seven churches, two receive only commendation for their faith, while five are given stern warnings. Note, that Revelation 11:4 reveals this: These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. So, we see that of the seven lampstands of Revelation 2, only two remain by Revelation 11. This is not merely coincidence; it should be viewed as a serious warning to all who claim to be part of the ekklesia, but remain in ignorance about the vast idolatry and paganism they embrace. It could not be clearer from scripture how God views such practices. In Exodus 20:5, YWHW states, "You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me." Now, this attribute of YHWHHis jealousyis what New Age prophetess Oprah Winfrey said she could not accept; but, that is also the very sentiment exuded by most of the modern church. Of course, those folks won't use Oprah's words; they'll choose language that sounds much more spiritual--words that typically result in statements like, "Well, that's not what those things mean to me," "God knows my heart, and He knows that I am not worshiping pagan gods," and "God is bigger than all that, and I'll trust Him to sort it all out in heaven." That is human foolishness, for YHWH has indeed already "sorted it out," and He made it abundantly clear to us how He views the practices. Human pride, coupled with the deception of the evil one, prevent so many well-intentioned professors of Christ from admitting they have believed a liethat they are actually a part of those five churches in Revelation 2. The time to start questioning the practices and beliefs of your local body is now, as the days of the great reckoning and holy wedding are quickly approaching. Start where I did; examine the historical and biblical record regarding the pagan celebrations of Christmas and Easter (laying aside all the warm and fuzzy emotional appeal the enemy has attached to them). Study the Word of YHWH about the Sabbath. You will find that most of the church (well, let's say 5/7 of it) dwells in things that are not to be found in scripture, while forsaking those things that are. It is not an easy journey, for as Yeshua said, "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it." Truly finding it means an eternal relationship with YHWH. How horrible it will be for those who lazily accept the pagan ways of the church when they ultimately hear, "Depart from Me, I never knew you.” Dean C. Haskins is a professional musician/producer/writer/marketing professional. He has toured the country extensively for many years, and has composed three full-length symphonies. His music website is www.deanhaskins.com. This article, copyright 2012, all rights reserved. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |