Useful Bible Studies > Revelation Commentary > chapter 2
A phrase in this verse may help to explain something which would otherwise be very difficult to understand.
Some of the first Christians were imitating the behaviour of people in a very wicked religion. They were doing things that were clearly against God’s law. They had sex with people who were not their husbands or wives. They went into the houses of false gods to eat meat that people had offered to those gods.
We can understand that the devil tempts people to do wrong things. God wants people to confess their evil deeds to him so that he can forgive them (1 John 1:9). However, these Christians were not merely following their own desires to do wrong. They actually believed that it was right to do these things (1 Corinthians 10:23). People were actually teaching them that they should do such things (verse 20). These people even considered themselves holy people whom the Spirit led.
Christ said that some people called these things: ‘the deep things of Satan’. ‘Deep things’ means secrets and mysteries. Paul said that the Holy Spirit teaches ‘the deep things of God’ to God’s people (1 Corinthians 2:10). However, the Christians who were doing these evil things wanted to know the deep things of Satan. Like Adam and Eve, they wanted knowledge of both good and evil things (Genesis 3:5-6).
Perhaps these Christians imagined that they could do these evil things safely. Perhaps they thought that such behaviour would not damage their relationship with God. Perhaps they even believed that they were showing Christ’s power over the devil.
If they really thought these things, they were very wrong and very foolish. Their actions offended God. They were acting in a very dangerous manner. It is wrong to act in a foolish manner in order to test whether God will protect you (1 Corinthians 10:9). Paul urged Christians to avoid completely these kinds of evil behaviour (1 Corinthians 6:18; 1 Corinthians 10:14).
Next part: Remain loyal to God (Revelation 2:25)
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© 2016, Keith Simons.