Sunday, February 26th, 2017 - The Pathway from Peril to Prosperity, Part 2 (Rev. 2:12-17)
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And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
Introduction:
Introduction:
Optimism and Pessimism
Pessimism, when you get used to it, is just as agreeable as optimism. —Arnold Bennett, Things that Have Interested Me
The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true. —James Branch Cabell, The Silver Stallion
I came to the conclusion that the optimist thought everything good except the pessimist, and that the pessimist thought everything bad, except himself. —G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy
The place where optimism most flourishes is the lunatic asylum. —Havelock Ellis, The Dance of Life
Two men look out through the same bars:
One sees the mud, and one the stars.
—Frederick Langbridge, A Cluster of Quiet Thoughts
If we see light at the end of the tunnel,
It’s the light of the oncoming train.
—Robert Lowell, “Since 1939”
an optimist is a guy
that has never had
much experience
—Don Marquis, archy and mehitabel
Rosiness is not a worse windowpane than gloomy gray when viewing the world. —Grace Paley, Enormous Changes at the Last Minute
I am an optimist, unrepentant and militant. After all, in order not to be a fool an optimist must know how sad a place the world can be. It is only the pessimist who finds this out anew every day. —Peter Ustinov, Dear Me
All is for the best in the best of possible worlds. —Voltaire, Candide [Inc Merriam-Webster, The Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Quotations (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 1992), 297–298.]
Main Thought: Finding the pathway from peril to prosperity is simple: just turn around (repent).
Sub-intro: Bring those just joining us briefly up to speed.
The text, like all Scripture, is up to date; and the instruction and appeal like that which characterizes all inspiration is pertinent. It involves the Speech of God’s Son, The Seat of God’s Adversary, and the Stedfastness of God’s Servant. [William Bell Riley, The Bible of the Expositor and the Evangelist, New Testament, Revelation Vol. 1, vol. 19, The Bible of the Expositor and the Evangelist (Union Gospel Press, 1932), Re 2:12–13.]
Body:
I. The Peril Among the Pergamos Church Plant (Rev. 2:12-13).
I. The Peril Among the Pergamos Church Plant (Rev. 2:12-13).
A. The Letter's Opening (Rev. 2:12).
A. The Letter's Opening (Rev. 2:12).
And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
1. The Pastor at Pergamos
1. The Pastor at Pergamos
2. The People of Pergamos
2. The People of Pergamos
The city of Pergamos ... meaning “height,” was so named because of its location on a promontory above the river Caicus. About fifteen miles from the Aegean Sea and fifty miles north of Smyrna, Pergamos became prominent under the Attalids (3rd century BC), and strongly supported Rome. It had a great library of approximately 200,000 volumes rivaling the Library of Alexandria, and shortage of papyrus from Egypt necessitated Eumenes of Pergamos to invent parchment (pergamenum),331 and gave derivation to the new writing material. Pérgamon was a significant religious worship center, which continued the Caesar cult, and practiced the worship of Zeus at the Great Altar of Pergamon. South of the Acropolis was the Asclepieion, or the Sanctuary of Asclepius, the god of healing, characterized by a serpent twined around a tree branch.332 The combination of Roman allegiance and blatant paganism produced an ungodly attraction for many, and a tremendous temptation to Christians of the first century. {[331 Parchment is limed calfskin (in contrast to tanned leather), with vellum as its highest grade.] [332 Merrill C. Tenney, ed., “Pergamum, Pergamos,” The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publ. House, 1963), pp. 637-638.] [Thomas M. Strouse, To the Seven Churches: A Commentary on the Apocalypse of Jesus Christ, Selected Works of Dr. Thomas M. Strouse (Bible Baptist Theological Press, 40 Country Squire Rd., Cromwell, CT 06461, 2013), 109–110.}}
3. The Prosecutor of Pergamos
3. The Prosecutor of Pergamos
Note - The Thracian Sword of Judgment
...having a twofold bearing, a searching power so as to convict and convert some (Rev 2:13, 17), and to convict and condemn to punishment others (Rev 2:14–16, especially Rev 2:16.... [Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 2 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 556.]
B. The Lord's Observations (Rev. 2:13).
B. The Lord's Observations (Rev. 2:13).
I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
1. He Knows the Pastor's Works
1. He Knows the Pastor's Works
Illustration - Company Policy in some venues of security work, the supervisor’s know exactly where their workers are working, and what dangers may be prevalent.
2. He Knows the Pastor's Digs
2. He Knows the Pastor's Digs
Note - One of Satan’s biggest battlegrounds is the Pastor’s home.
3. He Knows the Location of Satan's Throne
3. He Knows the Location of Satan's Throne
And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
a. The Pastor Remained Anchored to the Lord's Name
a. The Pastor Remained Anchored to the Lord's Name
Note - Jesus, Name Above All Names.
b. The Pastor Remained Anchored to the Lord's Faith
b. The Pastor Remained Anchored to the Lord's Faith
Although some may think that the expression “Satan’s throne” alluded to the Great Altar to Zeus or the Asclepieion (all ancient cities had their pagan deities), it probably referred to the fact that Pergamos was the center of Roman emperor worship. Prophetically and historically, the fourth world power in Daniel’s interpretation of the image was Rome (cf. Dan. 2:32-44),337 and it was through this kingdom that the devil would have the greatest diabolical control and most powerful influence. Paul hinted at the Roman requirement to call Caesar “lord”338 and Jesus “accursed” in his First Epistle to the Corinthians (I Cor. 12:3). With great sacral society pressure, the church members at Pergamos nevertheless held fast to Christ’s “name” (to. ónomámou) and had not “denied” ...339 “my faith” (tein pístin 340 mou),341 the Lord revealed. The name “Christian” (Cristianós) had a certain stigma to it, and could possibly cause weak believers to be ashamed, Peter admonished (cf. I Pet. 4:16). {[337 Strouse, But Daniel Purposed in His Heart: an Exegetical Commentary on Daniel, pp. 45-47.] [338 Dominus et deus.] [339 This aorist verb comes from árnéomai and is employed 31x in the TR. Peter had denied the Lord and repented of this sin (Jn. 18:25; 21:17). The church at Philadelphia did not fall into this temptation (Rev. 3:8). Paul gave severe warning about denying the Lord (cf. II Tim. 2:12-13).] [340 For the first of four times (also Rev. 2:19; 13:10; and 14:12), John employed the noun pístis in his apocalyptic work, but never using pístis in the Gospel of John and only once in I John (5:4). Conversely, he used the verb pisteúw one hundred times in the Gospel and ten times in I John, but never in Revelation. Apparently to John, faith was an activity and not merely a status or statement.] [341 This construction seems to be an objective genitive (i.e., the faith about me).] [Thomas M. Strouse, To the Seven Churches: A Commentary on the Apocalypse of Jesus Christ, Selected Works of Dr. Thomas M. Strouse (Bible Baptist Theological Press, 40 Country Squire Rd., Cromwell, CT 06461, 2013), 111–112.]}
c. The Example of Antipas, the Lord's Faithful Witness
c. The Example of Antipas, the Lord's Faithful Witness
i. Who Was Slain Among the Local Congregation
i. Who Was Slain Among the Local Congregation
Simeon Metaphrastes has a palpably legendary story, unknown to the early Fathers, that Antipas, in Domitian’s reign, was shut up in a red-hot brazen bull, and ended his life in thanksgivings and prayers. [Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 2 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 556.]
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
ii. Jesus Knows Satan's Digs
ii. Jesus Knows Satan's Digs
DWELL, DWELLERS, DWELLING (place) A. Verbs. - 1. oikeo (οἰκέω, 3611), “to dwell” (from oikos, “a house”), “to inhabit as one’s abode,” is derived from the Sanskrit, vic, “a dwelling place” (the Eng. termination —“wick” is connected). It is used (a) of God as “dwelling” in light, 1 Tim. 6:16; (b) of the “indwelling” of the Spirit of God in the believer, Rom. 8:9, 11, or in a church, 1 Cor. 3:16; (c) of the “indwelling” of sin, Rom. 7:20; (d) of the absence of any good thing in the flesh of the believer, Rom. 7:18; (e) of the “dwelling” together of those who are married, 1 Cor. 7:12-13.¶ 2. katoikeo (κατοικέω, 2730), kata, “down,” and No. 1, the most frequent verb with this meaning, properly signifies “to settle down in a dwelling, to dwell fixedly in a place.” Besides its literal sense, it is used of (a) the “indwelling” of the totality of the attributes and powers of the Godhead in Christ, Col. 1:19; 2:9; (b) the “indwelling” of Christ in the hearts of believers (“may make a home in your hearts”), Eph. 3:17; (c) the “dwelling” of Satan in a locality, Rev. 2:13; (d) the future “indwelling” of righteousness in the new heavens and earth, 2 Pet. 3:13. It is translated “dwellers” in Acts 1:19; 2:9; “inhabitants” in Rev. 17:2, kjv (rv, “they that dwell”), “inhabiters” in Rev. 8:13 and 12:12, kjv (rv, “them that dwell”). Cf. the nouns katoikesis (below), katoikia, “habitation,” Acts 17:26¶; katoiketerion, “a habitation,” Eph. 2:22; Rev. 18:2.¶ Contrast paroikeo, “to sojourn,” the latter being temporary, the former permanent. See habitation, inhabitant. [¶ Indicates that all the NT occurrences of the Greek word under consideration are mentioned under the heading or sub-heading.] [W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White Jr., Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 1996), 180.]
II. The Problems Addressed in the Pergamos Church Plant (Rev. 2:14-16).
II. The Problems Addressed in the Pergamos Church Plant (Rev. 2:14-16).
A. The Diagnosis: Destructive Doctrines or Treacherous Teachings (Rev. 2:14-15).
A. The Diagnosis: Destructive Doctrines or Treacherous Teachings (Rev. 2:14-15).
1. The Doctrine of Balaam (v. 14).
1. The Doctrine of Balaam (v. 14).
But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
Note - the word “hold[est]” 3x’s in this passage
The root verb kratéw (47x) denotes the powerful grasping of something, either that which is physical (Mt. 26:50), supernatural (Rev. 20:2), or mental (Mk. 9:10). [Thomas M. Strouse, To the Seven Churches: A Commentary on the Apocalypse of Jesus Christ, Selected Works of Dr. Thomas M. Strouse (Bible Baptist Theological Press, 40 Country Squire Rd., Cromwell, CT 06461, 2013), 113.]
a. Casting Stumblingblocks before God's People.
a. Casting Stumblingblocks before God's People.
Note- the “stumblingblock” [skándalon] here may refer to that portion of a trap that serves at the tripping mechanism bringing the effect of the trap down upon the prey lured therein.
OFFENCE (OFFENSE) - A. Nouns. 1. skandalon (σκάνδαλον, 4625) originally was “the name of the part of a trap to which the bait is attached, hence, the trap or snare itself, as in Rom. 11:9, rv, ‘stumblingblock,’ quoted from Psa. 69:22, and in Rev. 2:14, for Balaam’s device was rather a trap for Israel than a stumblingblock to them, and in Matt. 16:23, for in Peter’s words the Lord perceived a snare laid for Him by Satan.
“In NT skandalon is always used metaphorically, and ordinarily of anything that arouses prejudice, or becomes a hindrance to others, or causes them to fall by the way. Sometimes the hindrance is in itself good, and those stumbled by it are the wicked.”* Thus it is used (a) of Christ in Rom. 9:33, “(a rock) of offense”; so 1 Pet. 2:8; 1 Cor. 1:23 (kjv and rv, “stumblingblock”), and of His cross, Gal. 5:11 (rv, ditto); of the “table” provided by God for Israel, Rom. 11:9 (see above); (b) of that which is evil, e.g., Matt. 13:41, rv, “things that cause stumbling” (kjv, “things that offend”), lit., “all stumblingblocks”; 18:7, rv, “occasions of stumbling” and “occasion”; Luke 17:1 (ditto); Rom. 14:13, rv, “an occasion of falling” (kjv, “an occasion to fall”), said of such a use of Christian liberty as proves a hindrance to another; 16:17, rv, “occasions of stumbling,” said of the teaching of things contrary to sound doctrine; 1 John 2:10, “occasion of stumbling,” of the absence of this in the case of one who loves his brother and thereby abides in the light. Love, then, is the best safeguard against the woes pronounced by the Lord upon those who cause others to stumble. See fall, B, Note (3).¶ Cf. the Sept. in Hos. 4:17, “Ephraim partaking with idols hath laid stumblingblocks in his own path.” [* From Notes on Galations, by Hogg and Vine, p. 262.] [¶ Indicates that all the NT occurrences of the Greek word under consideration are mentioned under the heading or sub-heading.] [W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White Jr., Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 1996), 441.]
And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.
They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor,
And ate the sacrifices of the dead.
Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions:
And the plague brake in upon them.
Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment:
And so the plague was stayed.
And that was counted unto him for righteousness
Unto all generations for evermore.
b. Causing God's People to Sin.
b. Causing God's People to Sin.
Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.
Although the assemblies at Ephesus and Smyrna resisted the physical and spiritual seduction of Balaamism, the [ecclesia] at Pergamos and Thyatira succumbed. [Thomas M. Strouse, To the Seven Churches: A Commentary on the Apocalypse of Jesus Christ, Selected Works of Dr. Thomas M. Strouse (Bible Baptist Theological Press, 40 Country Squire Rd., Cromwell, CT 06461, 2013), 114.]
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.
2. The Doctrine of the Nicolaitans (v. 15).
2. The Doctrine of the Nicolaitans (v. 15).
So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
a. Not Necessarily Held Directly By the Pastor
a. Not Necessarily Held Directly By the Pastor
Earlier the Lord declared that He hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans (v. 6), and now He affirmed that He hated their doctrine. Regrettably, the original architects of the CT changed the TR reading to the anemic and redundant word `omoiws (“likewise”),354 diminishing the teaching of the Lord’s hatred toward false doctrine.355 These apostates apparently did not recognize that God’s love is predicated upon His holiness, and therefore have failed to recognize that He hates all ungodly wickedness inherent in man’s nature.356 The Lord Jesus Christ declared, saying, “for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mt. 9:13). [354 The NIV reads, “Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” The recent darling among some fundamentalists, the ESV, also removes the testimony of the Lord’s hatred for heresy, and reads, “So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” The CT omits miséw twice, once in Mt. 5:44 and once in Rev. 2:15, using this verb 40x instead of the 42x in the TR.] [355 Although some may claim that a “scribe” committed dittography (reduplicating twice what should have been written once), the biblical redundancy helped establish the truth through the testimony of two or three witnesses (cf. Dt. 19:15; Jn. 8:17; II Cor. 13:1).] [356 Man is not getting better and better, moving toward divinity; instead Paul declared, saying, “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (II Tim. 3:13).] [Thomas M. Strouse, To the Seven Churches: A Commentary on the Apocalypse of Jesus Christ, Selected Works of Dr. Thomas M. Strouse (Bible Baptist Theological Press, 40 Country Squire Rd., Cromwell, CT 06461, 2013), 115–116.]}
b. But He Was Guilty By Association with Those that Did
b. But He Was Guilty By Association with Those that Did
C. I. Scofield, on the other hand, says that the word is derived from two roots, nikao, “to conquer” and laos, “the people” or “the laity.” Maintaining that there is no real authority for a sect of the Nicolaitanes, he believes that the word is symbolic and refers to the earliest form of a priestly order or clergy, which later divided an equal brotherhood into priests and laity. If that is so, then the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes and the doctrine of Balaam were complementary errors. Denying the headship of Christ was the essence of the one; defiling the members of the body was the essence of the other. [John Phillips, Exploring Revelation: An Expository Commentary, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel; WORDsearch Corp., 2009), Re 2:15.]
B. The Remedy: Repent (Rev. 2:16).
B. The Remedy: Repent (Rev. 2:16).
Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
REPENT, REPENTANCE - A. Verbs. 1. metanoeo (μετανοέω, 3340), lit., “to perceive afterwards” (meta, “after,” implying “change,” noeo, “to perceive”; nous, “the mind, the seat of moral reflection”), in contrast to pronoeo, “to perceive beforehand,” hence signifies “to change one’s mind or purpose,” always, in the NT, involving a change for the better, an amendment, and always, except in Luke 17:3, 4, of “repentance” from sin. The word is found in the Synoptic Gospels (in Luke, nine times), in Acts five times, in the Apocalypse twelve times, eight in the messages to the churches, 2:5 (twice), 16, 21 (twice), rv, “she willeth not to repent” (2nd part); 3:3, 19 (the only churches in those chapters which contain no exhortation in this respect are those at Smyrna and Philadelphia); elsewhere only in 2 Cor. 12:21. [W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White Jr., Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 1996), 525.]
1. The Swiftness of the Lord's Coming
1. The Swiftness of the Lord's Coming
Note the imminency of Christ’s return.
2. The Sword of the Lord's Judgment
2. The Sword of the Lord's Judgment
If the angel/pastor would not initiate the steps to remove heretics, namely, repentance for toleration on the part of the pastor and church, and implementation of the steps of church discipline as outlined by Paul, the Lord would judge. The Apostle to the Gentiles revealed the appropriate action concerning heretics, saying, “A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject” (Tit. 3:10). If the silencing of the heretics and their false doctrine and deeds did not occur, Christ warned of divine judgment. Just as the reprobate Midianites and the heretical Balaam were judged and destroyed in their lifetime, so too would the devotees of Balaamism and Nicolaitanism be destroyed presently, the Saviour attested. He destroyed Balaam of old “with the sword” (cf. Num. 31:8; Josh. 13:22), and He promised to slay the church heretics “with the sword of my mouth” (én tn `romfaía 360 tou stómatós mou). The Lord’s inscripturated Words (cf. Eph. 6:17; Rev. 1:16) will bring the decisive blow to the heretics and their subsequent judgment (cf. Rev. 19:15),361 He promised.362 When the Lord God of the Bible “fights” (polemésw)363 against His enemies, He is always victorious! [360 See note on Rev. 1:16 for the seven NT uses of `romfaía.] [361 The Lord knows how to bring physical and spiritual judgment on sinners in any dispensation, Jude declared, saying, “To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him” (Jude 1:15).] [362 Jehovah’s words will bring blessing or judgment, He declared, saying “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isa. 55:11).] [363 Literally “I will fight” (KJV). The root verb poleméw occurs 7x in the TR, six times in Revelation (Rev. 2:16; 12:7 [2x]; 13:4; 17:14; 19:11; cf. also Jam. 4:2).] [Thomas M. Strouse, To the Seven Churches: A Commentary on the Apocalypse of Jesus Christ, Selected Works of Dr. Thomas M. Strouse (Bible Baptist Theological Press, 40 Country Squire Rd., Cromwell, CT 06461, 2013), 117–118.]}
III. The Promise Abiding for the Overcomer at Pergamos (Rev. 2:17).
III. The Promise Abiding for the Overcomer at Pergamos (Rev. 2:17).
A. The Spiritual Hearer
A. The Spiritual Hearer
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
B. The Gift of Secret Manna
B. The Gift of Secret Manna
And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. And Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations. As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.
But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes. And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium. And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.
And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;
And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.
Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.
And had rained down manna upon them to eat,
And had given them of the corn of heaven.
Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
HIDE, HID, HIDDEN - A. Verbs. 1. krupto (κρύπτω, 2928), “to cover, conceal, keep secret” (Eng., “crypt,” “cryptic,” etc.), is used (a) in its physical significance, e.g., Matt. 5:14; 13:44; 25:18 (some mss. have No. 2); (b) metaphorically, e.g., Matt. 11:25 (some mss. have No. 2 here); 13:35, rv, “(things) hidden”; kjv, “(things) which have been kept secret”; Luke 18:34; 19:42; John 19:38, “secretly.” See secret. [W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White Jr., Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 1996), 303.]
The manna of the OT foreshadowed the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Saviour testified, saying, “I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (Jn. 6:48-51). Although to the world is Christ concealed, those that walk by faith in obedience to Him are hidden in Him (cf. Mt. 11:25; Col. 2:3), and will continue to receive the spiritual food of the Hidden Manna, the Scripture revealed. [Thomas M. Strouse, To the Seven Churches: A Commentary on the Apocalypse of Jesus Christ, Selected Works of Dr. Thomas M. Strouse (Bible Baptist Theological Press, 40 Country Squire Rd., Cromwell, CT 06461, 2013), 119.]
At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
C. The Gift of a Secretly Engraved White Stone
C. The Gift of a Secretly Engraved White Stone
Note - White Stone - Legal justice/acquittal and pardoned; entrance and admission into feasts and banquets.
In those days, a white stone was put into a vessel by a judge to vote acquittal for a person on trial. It was also used like a “ticket” to gain admission to a feast. Both would certainly apply to the believer in a spiritual sense: he has been declared righteous through faith in Christ, and he feasts with Christ today (Rev. 3:20) and will feast with Him in glory (Rev. 19:6–9). [Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 574.]
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
The Light at the end of the tunnel is one of two things. Either oncoming destruction or Son light.
Finding the pathway from peril to prosperity is simple: just turn around (repent).