The Church of Sardis (1562 – 1798) The Counter Reformation.
The council of Trent, which lasted for eighteen years from 1545 AD to 1663 AD, set in motion events that brought about what is known in history as the counter reformation. This ended the spiritual revival which had taken place under the reformers. A new organization called the Society of Jesus, better known as the Jesuit Order, was put in place. It is the largest Roman Catholic religious order for men in the world.
The Jesuit Order was founded by Ignatius of Loyola and approved by Pope Paul III in 1540 AD. They centred their efforts on evangelism and education. During the next two centuries, they were effective in undoing much of the work of the reformation. Through the teaching of the futurist concept of prophecy, they were able to confuse the people and there was no longer a clear voice. By the late 1700s the church “had a name that was alive but in reality was dead.” (Revelation 3:1).
Let’s take a closer look at why they were dead. In the message to the church of Sardis we find no Jezebels, Balams, or Nicolaitans. These were found in the messages to the churches representing the time before the reformation. The reformation resolved these problems. The “morning star” that was promised to the overcomer in Thyatira (Revelation 2:28) was the reformation. It restored the great truths of salvation. Justification by faith alone; for Jesus Christ’s sake alone; according to the Bible alone.
The result of this was that the Papal Church was brought to its knees by the preaching of the reformers. In an effort to restore the Catholic Church to its former power, Pope Paul III called the council of Trent (1545 – 1565). The purpose of this gathering was to put the church back on solid ground. One of the big issues that was debated by the priests, bishops, archbishops, cardinals and theologians was whether or not they based their faith on the Bible alone or on the Bible and tradition. This debate lasted for years. The Archbishop of Reggio finally settled the question. He pointed out that if they based their faith on the Bible only, then they would have to keep the Bible Sabbath on the Seventh day (Saturday). However, he stated if they build their faith on the Bible and tradition then they are justified in worshipping on Sunday, the first day of the week, because the church had changed the day. The council voted to base their belief of the Bible and tradition.
A major question for us today is, where do we build our faith? Do we build our faith on scripture alone or on Scripture and tradition?
Will we be part of Isaiah’s prophecy quoted in Matthew? “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’” Matthew 15:7-9 NLT.
Another change that came out of the council of Trent was the commission given to Francisco Ribera and Luis De Alcazar. The reformers had been foremost in preaching that the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation pointed to the papal power as the little horn of Daniel 7 and the sea beast of Revelation 13. The Pope gave these two priests the assignment of coming up with a different interpretation of prophecy. Alcazar developed what is called “Preterism”, which puts all the prophecies in the past and as having been fulfilled.
Ribera developed the “Futurist” view. This concept says that, beginning with the fourth chapter of Revelation, all the prophecies are futuristic and will take place after the saints (God’s people) are raptured. Therefore, we don’t have to be concerned with them. We dealt with this in detail in Daniel unlocked and I am happy to resend the relevant studies.
Not many people embraced the Preterist view; however, the Futurist view caught on, along with the idea of building your faith on both the Bible and tradition. This brought about what is called the counter Reformation. The believers lost their evangelistic fervor and settled back into their former beliefs. The church that once was alive was now dead. (Revelation 2:28)
Up until v2, Christ had begun His message with words of commendation to each of the churches. However, to the church of Sardis, He begins with words of condemnation. The sin of hypocrisy called forth Jesus’ most scathing rebuke against the religious leaders of the day. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence” Matthew 23:25.
Now to the hypocritical church of Sardis, the glorified Christ sends His most unqualified denunciations. Rather than being “quickened,” or “made alive in Christ” as this church claimed to be, in reality it was “dead.” Only by being connected to the Vine, which is Christ, and feeding on His word, is there life. The church of Sardis had forsaken the source of Life and was ready to die.
If you would like a copy of the decrees of the council of Trent use the request below, or SMS me on 0421232881. Please don’t use this Revelation Unlocked number because your request will get lost in the feed of many numbers.
God bless you pastor Ross 🙏