Light on the Hill

Guest (Male): Today on Light on the Hill, we’re introduced to a church that was very distracted and doctrinally confused. Let’s see what we can learn from it.

Guest (Female): It's a blessing from the Lord to share this time with you. We call our program Light on the Hill, and our teacher is Pastor James Kaddis. Last time, we completed Pastor James's look at the Lord's letter to Smyrna in Revelation chapter two. It was a letter of encouragement and praise.

Today, as we begin a study of the letter to Pergamos, we see a very different tone from the Lord. Pergamos had fallen into the hands of false teaching. They were compromising. The Lord's response to them was to repent. Here's Pastor James.

James Kaddis: All right, Revelation chapter two again. We are starting in verse 12. Now, the one thing that I do want to talk about and I'm going to remind everybody is the words that we are reading to these seven churches are directly from the Lord. It is a letter to the seven churches, very specific churches in specific regions during specific time periods. But these messages relate to all of us in the current day in which we are living.

How do we know that? Because at the very end, and in many cases at the beginning of some of these church addresses, we are reading, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." It’s very important to understand that this becomes an all-inclusive term for everybody that is part of the church of Jesus Christ.

Although these churches represent very specific time periods, I think it's very important to also note that they also represent the current time period in which we're in: the Church Age. How do we know we're still in the Church Age? Because the church has not been raptured yet.

According to what we learn in verse 19 of Revelation chapter one, we know that there is a very specific timeline that God is going to hold to. The timeline for the period in which God is going to be dealing specifically with His ancestrally chosen people, the Jews—yes, actual Jews—will be when the church is raptured and He starts dealing with Israel directly.

Actually, it's interesting, God has already begun to deal with the nation of Israel in the sense that He is gathering back to their land as He promised He would. That's why I laugh a little bit at the wickedness and the satanic inspiration that's coming from all these pro-Palestinian protesters that are out there right now. They are protesting for the destruction of their own lives and for themselves because God says if you curse Israel, God will curse you.

How they can support the actions of these satanically inspired individuals who, as they would say it in their own language, "Bismillah," in the name of Allah, the false god that they worship, would go out and kill and take the lives that they have done is beyond me. But it is interesting because God says you're messing with the apple of My eye and I'm coming after you. The time that that ends up happening is going to be after we are raptured, where it actually becomes the very specific project of God to deal with Israel uniquely and individually as He's judging the rest of the world.

The Bible says a lot about that time period. I definitely don't want to be on the wrong side of history, which is why I choose to support Israel right now and in this moment. It's interesting to see how significantly the anti-Semitic sentiment is growing as a result of what's happened over there.

I just got rebuked by a young college kid. This one is funny because I started in ministry before she was even born. But it's funny how I was rebuked by a young college kid for not understanding the plight of the Palestinian. What she doesn't realize is if she protested the way she chooses to protest in the different places that she protests, and she did that in the middle of Gaza City, they would take her life. They do not understand that mindset.

I also got rebuked recently by somebody who was from the Nation of Islam, which is a cult of Islam. It's the Black Islamic movement that exists here in the United States. I was told that my representations about Islam are wrong and untrue. I just thought in my mind, and I say it every single time to anybody that I get the opportunity to who represents the Nation of Islam, do you understand that the number one purveyors of Black slaves today in the country is the same purveyor of slaves back in the day when this country had slavery, and that is the Arab Muslim?

Do you realize that they don't actually like Black people? If you understand what real Islam says and what it represents and what it does, it's interesting to think about the nature of the lies that continue to be communicated regarding that whole thing. But God has made it very clear. His word says what His word says, and I choose to obey what God's word says. I don't feel like poking the apple of God's eye.

I will tell you that my mother and my father were both born and raised in Egypt, which, up until roughly 1979, were sworn enemies of Israel. When the Egyptians were at war with Israel in the '60s and when they were at war with Israel in the '70s, my grandmother would not allow my father or any of his siblings to listen to Egyptian radio because she said it was fake news and propagandist in nature. She required them to listen to Israeli radio because she knew that the Egyptians were lying.

To me, that's a testimony of a godly grandmother who knew what was best for her family and wanted to see the generations of her family being blessed. It's interesting hearing about all kinds of experts on Gaza right now. I love hearing about the experts on Gaza coming out, especially the Hollywood movie stars. I love watching the Hollywood movie stars give me a lecture about Gaza and tell me the stories. I laugh to a degree, not to sound crazy or wild, but they don't match up with any of the stories that I heard from my mom, who was a missionary in Gaza before I was even born.

Think about that for just a second. Egypt had possession of Gaza right up until several years ago. When they let go of possession of Gaza, they said they didn't want it back. I'm not even going to get into the insanity of it all. I make videos on all of it every day. But it is interesting to know that we are in the Church Age right now. Eventually, what's going to happen is that God is going to deal with Israel very specifically. Through what happens with the Antichrist and all the things that happen there, they're going to realize that they missed who their Messiah was. God is going to reconcile them back to Him, and it's going to be something that is spectacular that we're going to be rejoicing about from heaven.

It's all coming together just as God said it would. It is really interesting to see how much deeper the level of anti-Semitism and anger and vitriol towards Christianity that we're seeing. In the last three weeks, I have received more threats and every kind of terrible name and all the crazy things that you can think of in the book than I have in probably the last couple of years standing up for the nation of Israel.

It is amazing how satanic all of this stuff is. Yet God makes it very clear. He says if you're the church and you are living in the age in which we are living, which is right now, the Church Age, He says if you have an ear, you better listen to what God is saying to the churches.

He starts off to the angel of the church at Pergamos. I think it's very important to understand that when we talk about the angel of the church, we are talking about the pastor of that church. When God wants to see a change affected in His people, who does He go to first? He goes to the pastors because He has an expectation of the pastors. He wants the pastors to teach the people to do as I say and as I do. Not just as I say and not as I do, but do as I say and as I do.

It's critically important for those of us that are in the ministry, those of us that are pastors, to do that which God has asked His people to do because we are the leader of His people. As the leader of His people, we need to model what we're asking them to do by our own actions. We need to be the type of people that are willing to do the things that we are asking our people to do. If I cannot model how to live Christianity, then in reality, I am failing to do my job.

I can be the most articulate spokesman in the world. I can be the most effective Bible teacher in the world. I can be somebody who keeps people mesmerized with every word I say, but I'm absolutely worthless if I'm not living it the way God has called me to live it. The reality of it is what you need more than anything, more than an articulate preacher, more than a knowledgeable Bible person, what you need more than anything that you can think of is the man who stands behind the pulpit and acts as your pastor, the under-shepherd of the church here, to be someone who believes the things that he teaches, who lives it and is dedicated to it and understands it and whose conviction centers around it so that the example that I live might be the very model for you that inspires you and teaches you to live the way that you do on a day-to-day basis.

This is very important. This is why he's writing it to the angel of the church there in Pergamos. This is what He says: "These things saith He which hath the sharp sword with two edges." It's interesting, the sharp sword with two edges. He’s talking about Christ, the one who holds the two-edged sword, the one whose sword comes out of His mouth is the reference that we're going to see later on in this passage.

It is interesting to understand the fact that the Bible not only serves as the plumb line or the level necessary to be able to make the determination as to what the standard of righteousness should be. It is the Bible that is the tool that allows us to be able to understand the difference between right or wrong. It's the tool that gives us the standard by which we find alleviation or we find the building of pressure for what it is that God has called us to do in whatever context.

The word of God is the very thing we stand everything upon. The word of God is the very tool that we utilize to be able to understand whether or not something is right or whether or not something is wrong. It's very simple how that works. The reality of it is, and I think it's critically important for us to understand, without that plumb line, without that tool, we can very easily go astray in not understanding what happens.

The other thing that's important to understand about the word of God is, as it says, it is a two-edged sword. One edge is for the beginning of this dichotomous pursuit where the body is being beautifully handled and managed and cared for. It's like a surgeon coming in with the knife and doing a very surgical approach where he's going in and he's dealing with something very specific in our heart. That's what the word of God does.

The other part of that dichotomy centers around the fact that that sword is also a ripper. That sword is capable of executing the type of judgment that nobody else can possibly begin to imagine or understand. Jesus is clarifying Himself as the one who stands as the person who corrects the body of Christ in all that He does with the word that He brings, and at the same time, He's the ripper that will judge the world.

It's a very important picture that we draw from this, and I think it's one that stands powerfully for us to be able to understand. Now, there's the question that you have to ask, and that is: why would Jesus refer to Himself in this context unless He is about to deliver a message that requires a significant amount of rebuke? That's what's coming right here. It's a very harsh message that Jesus is about to bring to the table.

Look at what He communicates, and I want us to pay attention because it is so relevant for what we're seeing in the church today. He said, "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."

He says you guys were faithful to the point where someone lost his life, a reputable man of reputation. Somebody lost his life for standing up for Me. I know that you're living in that place. By the way, I can just tell you this right now. You think of the place we're living in right now. It could definitely be termed as the house of Satan. The place that we live in is ugly, and the type of things that we're seeing right now is ugly.

I mean, goodness guys, do you know that now you go into a doctor's office and the doctor will ask you whether or not you're a boy or a girl? Forgive me for saying this, I want to make myself very clear: I don't want a doctor that does not understand XX and XY. I don't want a doctor that doesn't understand my biology because what happens when he has to operate on me? What happens when he has to do something very unique and specific to my sex, not my gender—my sex.

There is a very important distinction between those two words. I want you to understand that whatever cultural assertion you might make with respect to a nominative association that is defined by gender has nothing to do with the way we were fearfully and wonderfully created. I think it's important to understand the distinction between those elements because if you don't understand that distinction, you will suffer immensely in being able to hold fast to the things that are true.

We live in the house of Satan. Think about it. The state of California was a state that was designed so beautifully and wonderfully under circumstances that were glorifying to God. We're going to talk about this soon. But the reality of it is what it has become is the seat of Satan. It is in many ways the house of Satan, and there's a lot of persecution that is beginning to happen for people that are taking a stand for righteousness.

People are actually telling the truth, and it's interesting how that's working. Yet there's a great danger that exists within the church who is living in the house of Satan. When you have people that love the Lord and are walking with God and they are living in a town, in a community, in a state, in a country that stands and serves as the house of Satan, there is a great danger in doing so. That danger is allowing yourself to be given to a doctrine which will force you into a picture of non-sobriety and into a place of ultimate compromise, which destroys your walk, destroys your mind, destroys your family, and everything else around you.

That is what He is about to condemn Pergamos for. He's about to put them on notice because of this very thing. Look at what He says when He talks to the church in Pergamos: "But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block 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 Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate."

By the way, if you want to learn more about the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, then I would recommend you go over the Bible study that I did last week when we covered the church at Ephesus. We talked about the deed of the Nicolaitans. We covered two churches last week. I speak about it extensively and with a little bit of depth so that you'll understand what that is. I even define the Greek word in which we get the compound Greek words in which we get the term Nicolaitan from.

We talked about that, so we're not going to spend time talking about it here. But what we will spend some time talking about, because it is a very, very important thing—the doctrine of the Nicolaitans is an important issue, but we covered it last week—centers around the doctrine of Balaam. Many of you might not know what the doctrine of Balaam is. Let's go over the story of Balaam.

Many of you know the story of Balaam. If I were to tell you, do you know the story of Balak, many of you would not know the story of Balak. Most people would not know that story because that's not a recognizable name. But when I talk about Balaam, all of you for the most part will say, "Yeah, I remember the story of that donkey." Most people actually call Balaam the donkey even though his donkey was smarter than him.

You can't call Balaam the donkey because if you remember, Balaam did something so uniquely and remarkably egregious. Remember, he was a prophet of God and he did something uniquely egregious in a foreign land, something that was so egregious that it caused his donkey to actually speak to him.

If you remember the story, he's on his way back from where he was. As he's on his way back, he's beginning to turn the corner, coming around the mountain. As he's coming around the mountain, his donkey stops. He's like, "Come on!" And the donkey doesn't want to move. So he gets a little angry at the donkey. "Come on!" And the donkey doesn't want to move. So what does he do? He hits the donkey.

The donkey stops and turns around at him and he says, "Hey, dummy! I'm not turning the corner because there's an angel of the Lord that's waiting around the corner with a sword to smoke you." It’s funny how God uses a donkey to speak. That’s my encouragement: if God used a donkey to speak to somebody, He can use me.

But the reality of it is: what is it that Balaam did that was so evil, that was so remarkably egregious that an angel of the Lord was standing there with a sword? It's really simple. Balaam goes to Balak, a king who was the leader of an enemy against the nation of Israel. Balak tells Balaam something to the effect of, "Hey man, it's too bad that you can't perform a curse against the people of Israel because there was a lot of money on the table for you to do that."

The reason why he says that is because Balaam tells Balak, "Look man, I'm a prophet of God and I can't say anything that God doesn't say. The reality of it is God's not going to allow His people to fall in defeat because those are His people. God's going to bless His people, and God has told me that He's blessing His people, so I cannot declare a curse upon them. I don't want any of that action."

This guy says, "Oh, too bad because there was a lot of money on the table for you to curse them." He thought that there was some power in the prophet cursing. It had nothing to do with that. The power was in the fact that the prophet spoke on behalf of the Lord. So he says, "Well, there's a way that I can still earn that money, but you're going to have to listen closely to the plan."

He says, "Look, this is what you need to do, King. You need to bring in some of your ladies. You need to encourage interaction with these enemies that you call Israel. As these guys begin to go in and they have sexual relations with these girls, they're going to be given to all of the evil that goes with that, and God will be forced to curse them. When they get cursed, they'll be easily defeatable."

He was right. That was the only way that you can get the nation in trouble. But the problem with that was God hates that. God despises it. These people committed fornication and adultery. Now, here is why it's called the doctrine of Balaam. Balaam led the people of God into a place of destruction through a well-established relationship with the world in order to produce an outcome for him that he thought was viable.

He wanted to become more rich. He wanted to line his pockets. He wanted to perhaps have a little bit of notoriety with the enemy. But in doing what he did, he destroyed the people of God. Do you understand that the church that's being spoken about here was doing exactly that? Tell me if this sounds familiar.

The church was beginning to adhere to the philosophical bent of the world. The leaders of that church were beginning to preach a message that centered around the philosophical bent of the world so that the church would adapt to those things. Not only adapt to those things, but the reward as a result of that man's leadership, as bugged as it was, would be riches and power.

Guest (Female): You’re listening to Pastor James Kaddis on Light on the Hill. He’ll be right back with more. As we go through this study of Revelation, there may come a time when you miss a message or would just like to hear a program again. If so, visit lightonthehillradio.com and click on Radio, or listen through our app. We have a Light on the Hill app available for iPhone and Android users. Just search for Calvary Chapel Signal Hill.

Light on the Hill is heard all around the world, and it takes a team to bring these shows to the radio and internet. With your help, we’re able to reach people with the truth of God’s word at a time when they really need to hear it. You can donate today at lightonthehillradio.com. You can also give through our Light on the Hill app.

As we’re going through Revelation, this is a great time to mention Pastor James’s new book entitled *The Last Book*. It will share what you need to know about Revelation, the Rapture, and the end times. This guide to Revelation is part one of two, and you can order it today at lightonthehillradio.com or at Amazon.

We hope you’ll join our online communities. You’ll find James Kaddis on YouTube, Rumble, and Instagram. You can also hear our weekly prophecy show, *Countdown to Eternity*, wherever you get your podcasts and at countdowntoeternity.com.

As we return to Pastor James, he speaks for a moment about a very real and present temptation for those in church leadership.

James Kaddis: Here's the temptation. Ready? I'm a pastor. As a pastor, I begin to develop a list of things that I absolutely will never talk about. Because if I talk about those things, they will make people mad. And if people get mad, they're not going to want to come to my church. And if they don't come to my church, they won't give to my church. And if they don't give to my church, then I won't have the income that I need to be able to live the life that I want to live.

So there's a whole group of things I will not talk about. I'll stop using the terms "he" and "she." I won't refer to God as male or female. I'll start being neutral in this and that and here and there. I won't talk about abortion. I won't talk against the government. I'm not going to be political—which, by the way, is the most political that I ever will be. I'm not going to talk about all these things that tend to be very controversial because I don't want to offend or bother anybody.

Here's the problem. When you do that, you are actually at the expense of the death of the future. You are lining your own pockets. These men take it a step further. These men will go out of their way to put down other men that are standing for the truth. They will not only do that, but they will twist the scriptures to get you to accept the idea and the belief that is exemplified by the philosophy of this world in order to create an outcome that is favorable to them, that they might have the notoriety that they think that they want to have.

In reality, there's a man who is waiting to speak one word. It is the sword that's going to come out, and with that one word, He's going to annihilate every single one of His enemies. That man is God, and you don't want to mess with God. But you're doing that. You are literally messing with God when you are taking His people and you are stumbling them for your own gain.

Listen, I am disgusted at the idea that there are churches today, even Calvary Chapels, that you can go to and you can learn how to be a real secular humanist, where you can walk into a church right now and you can learn how to treat gender the correct way, how to accept things that God will never accept, how to be more graceful than God. There are churches that you can do that with. Why? Because the pastor is more concerned about themselves than he ever will be the people that he's ministering to.

Guest (Male): We'll save the rest of this message on the end times warning for next time. Light on the Hill with Pastor James Kaddis is brought to you by Calvary Chapel Signal Hill.