Quote:
Originally Posted by Evangelical
In Summary
The churches that Jesus addressed were city wide, comprising all believers in each city.
There were some groups within those cities who departed from Christ - the Nicolaitans, the Judaizers, the Jezebels (Catholics, by any good bible commentator's reckoning), etc.
Jesus nowhere talks about "true believers" in the midst of the Nicolaitans or the Judaizers or the Jezebels. He will deliver some kind of punishment to these, and that is why the bible says "come out" (Revelation 18:4).
So if we think that when God sends an angel to deal with the Catholic church, he is going to skip over the "true believers" in her midst ? No, it will be like Lot, or the angel of Death in Egypt, or like the Christians fleeing the Romans in Jerusalem. For any who do not leave, and heed the call, they suffer the punishment.
As someone said before.. all of God's people came out. It is not a possible for a true believer to stay in the Catholic church for very long, for example.
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Don't want to make this discussion too lenghy so I'll try keep it short.
I think you have confused the tares with the wheat and you are trying to burn the whole field because you see tares.
Jesus didn't seem to consider Jezebel a member of the Church in Thyatira. The letter was to addressed to the believers ("you") who tolerated Jezebel ("her"). So I would not hastily say Jezebel equals the whole Catholic Church or "denominations".
Every church which received the letter was already a called-out assembly by definition of "church". Some of their members were being deceived by false believers who sneaked into the assembly.
In the letters, Jesus was focusing on His people and warned them, especially the deceived ones, according to their deeds.
In the letters Jesus asked His people to repent, to be faithful and to hold fast (didn't find any "come out" here). Probably this is what we should focus more too.