The Church, Part 4

This process of preparing the church for her eternal state will require much purging. This is a “must be” because His bride will be holy and without blemish before Him (Ephesians 5:27). Jesus purchased her with His own blood (Acts 20:28) in order for her to be like Him. Sadly, the world seems to have too strong a hold on many believers.

Scripture defines “world” as a system of beliefs and practices that opposes God and righteousness (1 John 2:15–17; James 4:4).  Many professed Christians want Jesus and the world too. However, Scripture plainly commands believers: “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8). Elemental spirits are demonic entities that rule the world under Satanic authority. These spirits use deceit to further their agenda.

The goal of demonic deceit is to convince people that the world is spiritually neutral. The lie goes something like this: “True, there is evil in the world, but the world is not evil. One can follow Christ and still enjoy much in the world.” Paul countered this notion: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above . . . not on things that are on earth” (Colossian 3:1, 2). This admonition rests on the fact that “If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations” (Colossians 2:20).

What is even more significant is that Paul was defining the deceitful spirits’ efforts against the Colossian believers as Jewish regulations (Colossians 2:16, 17). Paul uses the term philosophy in a specialized sense—Jewish ascetics, corrupted by Babylonian mysticism, promoted doctrines relating to angels (v. 18). These doctrines required observing Jewish practices, which Paul acknowledged but demonstrated to be but shadows of the real substance, Christ. So, how did these Jewish practices become so corrupted? 

In Ezekiel 8, the prophet was taken by an angel to the temple to see something that “provokes to jealously,” “great abominations” committed to drive Yahweh from His sanctuary (vv. 3, 5, 6). Ezekiel saw “the vile abominations that they are committing” (v. 8), every form of idolatrous practice, worshipping the sun, and weeping for Tammuz. Yahweh declared, “Therefore I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare” (v. 18).

The judgment of the captivity did wean Israel from idols; however, the false doctrines of the pagan worship were incorporated into Judaism through demonic influence. These doctrines were prevalent in Jewish practices when Jesus arrived on the scene. His ministry often confronted and rebuked these false practices, such as Sabbath regulations (Matthew 12:1–7).

Will the Lord begin to deal with His professed church in the same manner? In Ezekiel 9, the angel summons the executioners. Before these acted, however, a man with a writing case was commanded to pass through the city and mark all who groaned in lament over these abominations (see Revelation 7:1–4). These were spared His wrath. This purging will be repeated in the church age before Jesus returns.