The letter to the corrupt church in Thyatira – Revelation

We move on to the fourth of the seven letters in Revelation. This time, the letter to the corrupt church in Thyatira. Jesus has good things to say about the church in Thyatira.  Some bad things as well.  So once again, part of the examination will be about the relationship, if any, between the good and bad statements.

The letter to the corrupt church in Thyatira - Revelation is article #4 in the series: Seven Letters to Seven Churches. Click button to view titles for entire series

Once again, the title comes from the section title in the NKJV.  As with most of the churches, the title refers to the content of the letter, rather than how Jesus referred to Himself as the author of this letter.  Therefore, looking at the corruption – how it came to be, who is following and / or supporting it, Etc. – will be high on our list of things to check out.

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First – Blessings in the Seven Letters

If you’re going through the series, you’ve seen this portion before. I’m including it for each letter for those who may only be checking out one of the seven letters.

The Book of Revelation starts with these verses:

Rev 1:1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. 

We learn something of the importance of each of the letters from this passage.  Of course, we get a modern-day evidence chain of sorts, to let us know this is from God.  And while John is the recipient of the vision, we saw:

3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it …

Just like when Jesus spoke of things like love and believe, He was also saying that the love and belief should be so strong as to bring about action on our part.  Not our action alone – and not action to gain love or to have stronger belief.  No – it’s about faith and love that are stronger than anything we could ever have ourselves, because it’s God’s meaning of faith and love that we can only achieve with the Holy Spirit.

Then the action follows from having the Holy Spirit.  And with the Holy Spirit working through us, the actions that we carry out will come from God and be effective the way He intends them to be.  In short – it’s not about us.  It’s about God.

When we see Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, all of that involves action as a result of having read or heard the prophecy.  It takes the Holy Spirit to understand the words, to take them to heart.  And once we do that – we should have a desire, also coming from the Holy Spirit, to act on the words.  Both for ourselves and for others.

It’s a message that God wants us to hear/read – and then do something with it.  As we’ll see, each letter speaks to what Jesus has for and against each of the churches.  He lets us know very clearly where we stand in relation to what He wants.  To what He taught.  Our goal is to be more Christ-like, and when we read this, we can look for ourselves in the letters and know just where we are.

Praying about the Seven Letters and ourselves

We’ll start with praying portions of Psalm 139. Remember that these letters are for us today, as much as for those at the time John put pen to scroll and everyone in between. One really good way for us to ask God to let us know which parts of these letters apply to us as individuals, families, small groups, churches, Etc. is to literally ask Him! And to listen for a response.

As such, let’s begin by praying the verses below, from David to God.

Psalm 139

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

Ps 139:1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

Ps 139:2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

Ps 139:3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

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Ps 139:22 I have nothing but hatred for them;

I count them my enemies.

Ps 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

Ps 139:24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

This Psalm is something we should incorporate into our prayer life. Sometimes maybe we feel like we don’t really want to know what God knows about us. But hey – He already knows, and He still loves us. So why not ask, and then also ask for His help to grow in our journey through this life in faith and the power of the Holy Spirit?

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The letter to the church in Thyatira

To the Church in Thyatira

Rev 2:18 “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
Rev 2:20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. 24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): 25 Only hold on to what you have until I come.
Rev 2:26 To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—

Rev 2:27 ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter;
he will dash them to pieces like pottery’—

just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

You may have noticed this letter is rather long.  In fact, it’s the longest of the seven.  It appears that a lot of the length is regarding things Jesus has against this church.  Are things really that bad in Thyatira?

Cultural and historical factors in Thyatira

Because of its strategic, but vulnerable location, it was the site of many battles.

The city was a Lydian fortress later refounded by the Macedonians as a military colony in the third century BC. 

Thyatira was situated at a major intersection with intraprovincial and interregional connections.

Trade guilds played a major role in civic life.  There was a lot of pollution because of the dye industries – both water and air (from the odor).  

Eating food sacrificed to idols at pagan temples was a major issue in its Christian community.  Food sacrificed at these temples was often eaten at trade guild meetings, along with a lot of liquor.

It is known that the city had many trade guilds, and it would have been difficult to make a living without participating in one of them. Yet the guilds practiced idolatrous rites at their gatherings, which Christians could not countenance. Therefore, the Christians in Thyatira may have been hard pressed to support themselves and their families without resorting to some measure of compromise with idolatry. ¹Gregg, S. (1997). Revelation, four views: a parallel commentary (pp. 70–71). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers.

People worshipped both Greek and Roman gods.  There was also some Emperor worship, but no temples.  The relative closeness of Pergamum, about an easy two day walk of about 40 miles, was a factor in the Emperor worship.

While the Nicolaitans weren’t mentioned in the letter, there is evidence that they did practice their ways in Thyatira.

Lydia, whom Paul met in Philippi (Acts 16:14), had probably become a God-Fearer through this Jewish community; however, no remains of a synagogue have been found.

One of the earliest Christian inscriptions yet found (early third century) came from nearby Chorianos (modern Akselendi). Aurelius Gaios openly identifies himself as a Christian along with his wife Aurelia Stratoneikiane. It is remarkable that a century before Christianity is legalized, Christians around Thyatira are publicly declaring their faith.

Breakdown of the letter to the church in Thyatira

Here’s usual breakdown of the letter to the church in Thyatira.

So – let’s break down the letter to the church in Thyatira.  Please note, there’s an interesting difference in the: So” portion of this letter.  There’s a message to “the rest of you“.  But is it good or bad news?

The strength of the wording in the letter also contrasts with the apparent historical evidence that Christians around Thyatira are publicly declaring their faith.  This is also worth examining more closely.

Before we begin with the letter to the church in Thyatira, here’s the breakdown for this particular letter.

To	the angel of the church in Thyatira
From	the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
Divine Knowledge	I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
But -	Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.
So -	So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): Only hold on to what you have until I come.
To those who overcome	To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—     ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter;     he will dash them to pieces like pottery’— just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star
Hear	He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

The traditional To and From headings are present. 

To:

Obviously, it’s to the church in Thyatira.  As we saw in the letter to the Ephesian church, it’s most likely not to an actual Heavenly angel.  Rather it’s probably to someone, probably of a high position, within the church.  To that end, Young’s Literal Translation says:

‘to the messenger of the assembly of Thyatira write:  ²Young, R. (1997). Young’s Literal Translation (Re 2:18). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

From:

This letter is from the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.  

It’s the only one of the 7 letters that immediately and directly says who it’s from – the Son of God.  All the others say something about Jesus that leads to His identity.  There’s nothing like that here.  Jesus identifies Himself very clearly, and then states two characteristics that He wants the church in Thyatira to be aware of.

The first instance of eyes are like blazing fire

Since Jesus started with eyes are like blazing fire, we’ll do the same.

There are three references to Jesus with eyes are like blazing fire in the New Testament.  Obviously, one is this verse. 

The second instance of eyes are like blazing fire

As we’ve seen in others of the 7 letters, it’s also in the first chapter of Revelation.  Some portion of the description of Jesus from each of the letters is in the passage below.

One Like a Son of Man

Rev 1:9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”

Rev 1:12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone “like a son of man,” dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

Rev 1:17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
Rev 1:19 “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”

No surprise to see it in that passage.  Also, no real cause for concern.  Yet.

The third instance of eyes are like blazing fire

What we are about to read is John, telling this portion of His revelation from the angel.  It’s about the defeat of “Babylon”, the false church.  We’ll see some of the various descriptions of Jesus throughout this passage, including eyes (that) are like blazing fire from the letter to the church in Thyatira.  Notice the reference to His feet as well.

The heavenly warrior defeats the beast

The Rider on the White Horse

Rev 19:11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Rev 19:17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great.”
Rev 19:19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

Earlier I said there were no real surprises and no great cause for concern with the reference to Jesus having eyes like blazing fire.

But now – now there’s cause for great concern! And part of that concern should be for which side of that double-edged sword is coming towards us. But what of our friends in the church? Shouldn’t we also be concerned about which side of the double-edged sword is going towards them? We absolutely should be concerned. We should be concerned for all Christians. And yet, it seems that in this church, that wasn’t happening. Maybe not even by the leaders in the church.

Before we move on

Note that in one of the above passages, John describes Jesus as being someone like a son of man.  However, in the letter to the Thyatira church, Jesus calls Himself the Son of God.  We’ll find out why as we move along.

feet are like burnished bronze

A search for feet are like burnished bronze leads to the passage below, in Daniel.  Many believe the imagery below points to Jesus.  However, there are reasons to think it’s not Jesus, but the archangel Gabriel.  Let’s look at that.  If it’s Jesus, then the passage is very relevant to the church in Thyatira and its description.  If not, well, then it’s about something else.

Daniel’s Vision of a Man

Da 10:1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel (who was called Belteshazzar). Its message was true and it concerned a great war. The understanding of the message came to him in a vision.
Da 10:2 At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. 3 I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.
Da 10:4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, 5 I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of the finest gold around his waist. 6 His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.

So there’s the description. It certainly has the reference to legs like burnished bronze.  And, the eyes like flaming torches is very close – nearly identical. 

There is one thing it doesn’t have though.  In Daniel 7, he had a vision that included the following verses.

Da 7:13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. 

So Daniel had previously seen Jesus in a vision.  And, as often happens, Jesus is described as one like a son of man.  There’s no such description in the Daniel 10 passage.  No apparent recognition at all that the man here in chapter 10 was the same one Daniel saw in chapter 7.

Furthermore, the message given to Daniel doesn’t sound like it’s Jesus speaking.  Pay attention to what’s said below.

Da 10:7 I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; the men with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. 8 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. 9 Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.

Da 10:10 A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.”

I have now been sent to you.  Angels were sent to Daniel.  Jesus talks about being sent by the Father in the Gospels.  But in Daniel’s visions, Jesus just appeared in them.  A small item, but it sets the tone.

And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.
Da 10:12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.

The reference to the prince of the Persian kingdom is believed to be one of Satan’s fallen angels – not to Satan himself.  Did Jesus need help from the archangel Michael to resist one of Satan’s fallen angels?  

14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”

Da 10:15 While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless. 16 Then one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing before me, “I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I am helpless.

Some people point to the words “my lord” as evidence that Daniel thought he was speaking to God.  However, the NIV translators apparently didn’t think this was the case, since the word “lord” isn’t capitalized.

Furthermore, the Hebrew word Daniel spoke (which we read as lord) doesn’t require that it be a reference to God.

 113 אָדֹון [ʾadown, or (shortened), ʾadon /aw·done/] n m. From an unused root (meaning to rule); TWOT 27b; GK 123; 335 occurrences; AV translates as “lord” 197 times, “master(s)” 105 times, “Lord” 31 times, “owner” once, and “sir” once. 1 firm, strong, lord, master. 1A lord, master. 1A1 reference to men. 1A1A superintendent of household, of affairs. 1A1B master. 1A1C king. 1A2 reference to God. 1A2A the Lord God. 1A2B Lord of the whole earth. 1B lords, kings. 1B1 reference to men. 1B1A proprietor of hill of Samaria. 1B1B master. 1B1C husband. 1B1D prophet. 1B1E governor. 1B1F prince. 1B1G king. 1B2 reference to God. 1B2A Lord of lords (probably = “thy husband, Yahweh”). 1C my lord, my master. 1C1 reference to men. 1C1A master. 1C1B husband. 1C1C prophet. 1C1D prince. 1C1E king. 1C1F father. 1C1G Moses. 1C1H priest. 1C1I theophanic angel. 1C1J captain. 1C1K general recognition of superiority. 1C2 reference to God. 1C2A my Lord, my Lord and my God. 1C2B Adonai (parallel with Yahweh).  ³Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.

17 How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.”
Da 10:18 Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. 19 “Do not be afraid, O man highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.”

Again, Daniel says “man”.  There’s no reference to looking like a son of man.

When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.”

Da 10:20 So he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; 21 but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince. 11:1 And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.)

Again, there are references, not to Satan, but to some of his fallen angels.  

This may seem like a lot to go over for something that I believe doesn’t apply.  But then, there are disagreements over whether it does or not.  I present it to allow you to decide for yourself.  It’s that “own your own faith” thing I like to bring up.  No one alive and walking the earth right now knows for sure.  Scholars don’t either.  The only thing left is for us to examine, pray and decide.

Where does that leave us with the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze?

Well, the most obvious thing left is that it means what it appears to mean from a Biblical point of view.  Not to anything specific about the blazing fire or the burnished bronze.  Rather, to what those images represent.  So let’s go through them again, but this time from a more general view of what we know about God.

eyes are like blazing fire

Question – when it’s dark, what do we do when we want to see?  Today, we most likely turn on a light.  But back then, there were no light switches.  No electric power.  No batteries.  Only fire.

As with lights today, a small fire gave a small amount of illumination.  It didn’t help to see very well, or very far.  The bigger the fire, the more light was shed.  An intense fire lights up further distances and brings brighter light to things close to the fire.

Think of that in terms of Jesus.  Here in Revelation, we’re on the fourth letter to the churches.  We’ve read “I know” four times.  That’s four times where Jesus tells the church He knows about them.  Things they didn’t necessarily even know about themselves.  More correctly, maybe that they chose to not know about themselves.  Spoiler alert – Jesus is going to say the same thing, “I know” to each of the three remaining churches as well.

That Jesus knows shouldn’t be a surprise.  After all, consider just the few passages below.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic – Matthew

9:2-8 pp — Mk 2:3-12; Lk 5:18-26

Mt 9:1 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2 Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”

Mt 9:3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”

Mt 9:4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. . . .” Then he said to the paralytic, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” 7 And the man got up and went home. 8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men.

With those “eyes like blazing fire”, Jesus can even “see” our thoughts.  We think we can get away with things, but how, when Jesus knows before we do something.  

Six Woes

Lk 11:37 When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. 38 But the Pharisee, noticing that Jesus did not first wash before the meal, was surprised.

Sure, we can  often tell when someone looks surprised.  But would we know to respond in such detail as we read below?  Jesus surely knew what was in the Pharisee’s heart, and responded to that. 

Lk 11:39 Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But give what is inside the dish to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.
Lk 11:42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.
Lk 11:43 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.
Lk 11:44 “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without knowing it.”

Not being appropriately aware of what just happened, an expert in the law decides to step in.

Lk 11:45 One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”

Yes, these were incredible insults.  Probably much more than most people are aware of today, unless we’ve really paid attention to the Old Testament.  For a deeper look at the meaning behind Jesus’ words, I invite you to check out This then is how you should not pray….  It goes over the Seven Woes in Matthew, but you’ll see the point.  Why it was so insulting.

Lk 11:46 Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.
Lk 11:47 “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your forefathers who killed them. 48 So you testify that you approve of what your forefathers did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. 49 Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’ 50 Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.
Lk 11:52 “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”

Still not learning from what they just experienced, the Pharisees and teachers of the law looked for opportunities to try again.

Lk 11:53 When Jesus left there, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, 54 waiting to catch him in something he might say.

A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God

…

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

We looked at this passage when studying the letter to the Pergamum church.  At that time, I wrote:

Remember, this isn’t a physical sword, so we can’t take the dividing portions of this passage to mean anything physical.  Rather, it means that God can see everything – even things that are unseeable to us.

So in this passage, God looks behind our words.  Even behind our deeds.  He looks into our hearts and knows the reasons why we  say what we say and do what we do.  Even the times we manage to convince ourselves of something other than the truth.

By now, we should be able to see that there’s absolutely nothing we can hide from Jesus.  He sees everything that can be seen – and everything that cannot be seen.  He sees the things we don’t see, whether our inability to see them is unintentional or entirely on purpose.

This is something every Christian should be aware of.  Every one of us.  The fact that this church needed to be reminded of Jesus’ ability to see everything is not a good thing.  That it came with the image of someone whose eyes are like blazing fire makes the message that much worse. 

feet are like burnished bronze

Based on what we’ve seen so far, there’s no reason to think that feet like burnished bronze is going to be any better.  Putting the descriptions of the eyes and feet together, we get something like this:

Christ reveals himself to this church as the Son of God and informs them that His eyes are like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass (v. 18). Both of these characteristics suggest impending judgment. His piercing vision sees all and can therefore not fail to judge rightly, whereas His feet, with which He will tread upon the wicked in the winepress of God’s wrath (14:19f; Isa. 63:1–4), are of irresistible strength, like brass. Jesus will judge the wicked in the church (vv. 22f) with a judgment none can thwart or resist.  ⁴Gregg, S. (1997). Revelation, four views: a parallel commentary (p. 71). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers.

We’ll see about the judgment of this church, the reference to vv. 22f,  shortly.  The bottom line here is that in spite of Jesus saying, I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first, this church appears to be headed for big trouble.  Really, it shouldn’t be that surprising, since they are referred to in the title, from the KJV, as the corrupt church.

It’s amazing.  And sad.  We’ve just finished the “From” portion of the letter where Jesus identifies Himself.  And already, the outlook for the future is dark.

Let’s maybe take a break from all this darkness and look at the, hopefully, good news.

That will be coming, in the Divine Knowledge section of the letter to this church.

Divine Knowledge in the letter to the church in Thyatira

Next, we’ll look at the Divine Knowledge. The things Jesus knows about the church. Usually, this is good news for the receiving church. However, that’s not always the case. Jesus had some good news for this church. And yet, there was also a very large run of verses after the word “nevertheless”. We’ll find out more about what that means.

It’s very short.  But seems to contain a lot.  Deeds.  Love.  Faith.  Service.  Perseverance.  And they’re doing more than they were previously.  And yet, there’s the warning of the eyes and feet of Jesus hanging over them.  Having noted that, there’s really not much to say about it.  

Much which is seen in this church is praiseworthy. Works, love, faith, ministry, and patience are given special notice. The activity of the members was prompted by their love and faith—two prime Christian virtues—and manifested itself in ministry and patience. Ministry (diakonia) suggests the giving of oneself in service to others, in things both spiritual and material. Patience (hupomonē) speaks of persistent endurance in the face of hardship and opposition. These deeds of Christian service had shown an increase with the passing of the years.  

It is noteworthy that in these addresses praise is more liberally given, if it can be given with justice, when blame is to follow; more is said of the good deeds of Ephesus and Thyatira than of those of the Smyrnaeans and Philadelphians, with whom no fault is found.  ⁵Blaney, H. J. S. (1966). Revelation . In Hebrews-Revelation (Vol. 6, pp. 434–435). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Even here though, the presence of this good news may very well mean the bad news is that much worse. Sometimes good things come in small packages. And this is certainly a small “package” of words.

We’ll find out in the “But…” section if this small package to the letter to the church in Thyatira really is a good thing.

But

The “but” section is where we read the things Jesus knows about the church. But unlike the Divine Knowledge of the previous section, this is not good news. In this case, it starts off with Jesus saying, Nevertheless, I have this against you. Is that as bad as it sounds? Let’s find out!

In spite of the list of things Jesus said they were doing, He still says:

Rev 2:20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.

The church in Thyatira is tolerating a false prophetess.  Someone who, as Jesus warns during His time of earth, will mislead followers.  Jesus says He has given her time to repent, but she is unwilling to do so.

What does all that mean?  To find out, let’s go back to the Old Testament to learn about Jezebel and what she could represent in the Thyatira church.

Jezebel – the Old Testament

Let’s start with a summary of Jezebel of the Old Testament.  If you don’t remember, she was in 1 & 2 Kings.  Since she was involved in so many things, we’ll look at her from three different sources.  Each focuses on different aspects of her life and treachery.  I think it’s good to check out all three of them to get some better views of what kind of influence Jezebel in Thyatira might have been wielding.

Jezebel – from Easton’s Bible Dictionary

… the daughter of Ethbaal, the king of the Zidonians, and the wife of Ahab, the king of Israel (1 Kings 16:31). This was the “first time that a king of Israel had allied himself by marriage with a heathen princess; and the alliance was in this case of a peculiarly disastrous kind.

A new low for the Israelite Kings.  Ahab was the eighth king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

While it’s tempting to think this was a surprise to the Israelites, it really should not have been unexpected.  Just think back to when the Israelites first wanted a human king, rather than God.  They were warned.  Big time.  But they wanted a human king anyway.  What follows is a classic case of “be careful what you ask for”.  Especially when we should know better.

Israel Asks for a King

The people wanted a human king because that’s what everyone else had.  They didn’t appreciate the special relationship they had with the Creator of everything.  God warned them what would happen, as we read below.

1Sa 8:10 Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day. ”

1Sa 8:19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

1Sa 8:21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. 22 The LORD answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”
Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Everyone go back to his town.”

The people got what God warned them they’d get.

This should remind us, before we get to Jezebel herself, we need to be careful of people who even want to be involved with her (or someone like her).  Yes, we are to be in the world.  But then, we’re not supposed to be of the world.  That can be a pretty fine line.  We’ve already seen what happens when false teaching is tolerated in the church in Pergamum, as opposed to Ephesus where the false teaching did not lead them astray.

So let’s keep going here to see about the church in Thyatira.  

Jezebel has stamped her name on history as the representative of all that is designing, crafty, malicious, revengeful, and cruel.

This is the second time in the seven letters that we’ve seen someone who’s essentially the dictionary definition of something bad.

She is the first great instigator of persecution against the saints of God. Guided by no principle, restrained by no fear of either God or man, passionate in her attachment to her heathen worship, she spared no pains to maintain idolatry around her in all its splendour.

And the king of Israel married her.  What was he thinking?  For that matter, we should sometimes ask ourselves, what are we thinking – before acting.

Four hundred and fifty prophets ministered under her care to Baal, besides four hundred prophets of the groves [R.V., ‘prophets of the Asherah’], which ate at her table (1 Kings 18:19).

I think a lot of us know about Baal, but I’ve never really checked out Asherah very much.  Since it may have a bearing on the church in Thyatira – and on us specifically – I thought I’d do that.  In case you’re not familiar with Baal, here’s a summary for both of them.

Baal. Name of the most prominent Canaanite deity. As the god of fertility in the Canaanite pantheon (roster of gods), Baal’s sphere of influence included agriculture, animal husbandry, and human sexuality. The word Baal occurs in the OT in combination with other terms, such as place-names (Baal-peor, Hos 9:10; Baal-hermon, Jgs 3:3), or with other adjuncts as in Baal-berith (Baal of the covenant, Jgs 8:33). Use of the name in connection with a local place-name may indicate a local cult of Baal worship.

Baal worship became prominent in the northern Kingdom of Israel during the days of King Ahab (9th century BC) when he married Jezebel of Tyre, a city in Phoenicia (1 Kgs 16:29–33; 18:19–40). It later infiltrated the Kingdom of Judah when Athaliah, daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, married King Jehoram of Judah (2 Kgs 8:17, 18, 24–26). Places for worship of Baal were often high places in the hills consisting of an altar and a sacred tree, stone, or pillar (2 Kgs 23:5). The predominantly urban Phoenicians built temples to Baal; while Athaliah was queen of Judah, even Jerusalem had one (2 Chr 23:12–17).

In the Ugaritic epic material Baal is pictured as descending into the netherworld, the domain of the god Mot. That descent was evidently part of a cycle intended to coincide with the cycle of seasons. In order to bring Baal up from the realm of Mot and thus insure initiation of the fertile rainy season, the Canaanites engaged in orgiastic worship that included human sacrifice as well as sexual rites (Jer 7:31; 19:4–6). Sacred prostitutes evidently participated in the autumnal religious ritual. The worship of Baal was strongly condemned in the OT (Jgs 2:12–14; 3:7, 8; Jer 19).  ⁶Vos, H. F. (1988). Baal. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 1, p. 239). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

ASHERAH (Ȧ·shēʹ răh), ASHERIM (pl.) or ASHEROTH (pl.) Fertility goddess, the mother of Baal, whose worship was concentrated in Syria and Canaan and the wooden object that represented her. The KJV translated Asherah “grove” and the proper noun “Ashtaroth.”

The writers of the OT referred to the image of Asherah as well as to “prophets” belonging to her and to vessels used in her worship (1 Kings 15:13; 18:19; 2 Kings 21:7; 23:4; 2 Chron. 15:16). Over half of the OT references to Asherah can be found in the books of Kings and Chronicles. Deuteronomy 7:5; 12:3 instructed the Israelites to cut down and burn up the Asherim (plural form of Asherah). Deuteronomy 16:21 prohibited the planting of a tree as an “Asherah.”

The writers of the OT did not provide an actual description of an “Asherah” or the origin of the worship of Asherah. Other religious writings from the ancient Near East indicate that “Asherah” was the Hebrew name for an Amorite or Canaanite goddess who was worshiped in various parts of the ancient Near East. The biblical writers sometimes did not make a clear distinction between references to Asherah as a goddess and as an object of worship. According to ancient mythology, Asherah, the mother goddess, was the wife of El and mother of 70 gods, of whom Baal was the most famous. Asherah was the fertility goddess of the Phoenicians and Canaanites. She was called “Lady Asherah of the Sea.” See Canaan; Gods, Pagan.

Scholars who have studied artwork from the ancient Near East have suggested that some figures in drawings could be representations of the fertility goddess Asherah. Drawings of plain and carved poles, staffs, a cross, a double ax, a tree, a tree stump, a headdress for a priest, and several wooden images could be illustrations of an Asherah. Passages such as 2 Kings 13:6; 17:16; 18:4; 21:3; and 23:6, 15 have been interpreted as a definition of an Asherah as a wooden object constructed or destroyed by man. The object stood upright and was used in the worship of a goddess of the same name.

The Asherah existed in both the Southern and Northern Kingdoms of Israel. Jezebel of Tyre apparently installed Asherah worship in the north when she married King Ahab (1 Kings 18:18–19). The principle cities in which the objects were located were Samaria, Bethel, and Jerusalem. According to 1 Kings 14:23 (NASB) the people “built for themselves high places, and sacred pillars and Asherim (plural) on every high hill and beneath every luxuriant tree.” See Baal; Idol.  ⁷Newell, J. (2003). Asherah, Asherim or Asherah. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 125). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

The Asherah poles references in the Bible are never described.  However, from other sources, we can learn what they looked like.  Here’s a “cleaned up” description.

ASHERAH—and pl. Asherim in Revised Version, instead of “grove” and “groves” of the Authorized Version. This was the name of a sensual Canaanitish goddess Astarte, the feminine of the Assyrian Ishtar. Its symbol was the stem of a tree deprived of its boughs, and rudely shaped into an image, and planted in the ground. Such religious symbols (“groves”) are frequently alluded to in Scripture (Ex. 34:13; Judg. 6:25; 2 Kings 23:6; 1 Kings 16:33, etc.). These images were also sometimes made of silver or of carved stone (2 Kings 21:7; “the graven image of Asherah,” R.V.). (See GROVE [1].).  ⁸Easton, M. G. (1893). In Easton’s Bible dictionary. New York: Harper & Brothers.

Just the idea of 900 prophets from these two pagan religions should be detestable to a Jewish king.  However, it wasn’t.  If anything even close to this was going on in the Thyatira church, it’s no surprise that Jesus was very upset with them.

On top of that, consider that Jesus identifies Himself as one with blazing fire, to see what the people there do not see.  We can only wonder how the people in that church didn’t see what was happening!  Was it intention, as in turning a blind eye?  Or were they truly clueless?  Either way – it’s not good.

The idolatry, too, was of the most debased and sensual kind.” Her conduct was in many respects very disastrous to the kingdom both of Israel and Judah (21:1–29).

For sure, it was disastrous.  Apparently they’d forgotten, or chose to ignore, the first few of the ten commandments.

The Ten Commandments – Exodus

20:1-17 pp — Dt 5:6-21

Ex 20:1 And God spoke all these words:

Ex 20:2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

Ex 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

Ex 20:4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

And those didn’t even cover the nature of the idols!

At length she came to an untimely end. As Jehu rode into the gates of Jezreel, she looked out at the window of the palace, and said, “Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?” He looked up and called to her chamberlains, who instantly threw her from the window, so that she was dashed in pieces on the street, and his horses trod her under their feet. She was immediately consumed by the dogs of the street (2 Kings 9:7–37), according to the word of Elijah the Tishbite (1 Kings 21:19).

I believe there’s a typo in the last sentence of that excerpt.  Elijah’s prophecy about Jezebel’s death is actually in 1 Kings 21:23.  I’m going to include a summary of each of the passages regarding Jezebel below, but want to point this out for anyone who checks the link above.  Instead, here’s the verses surrounding Elijah’s prophecy of how Jezebel will die, from the section titled Naboth’s Vineyard in the NIV (see below for the entire section).

The first paragraph is from a letter Jezebel wrote, but signed Ahab’s name and put his seal in.  Since the recipients thought it was from the king, they did as it said.

Naboth’s Vineyard

…

“Proclaim a day of fasting and seat Naboth in a prominent place among the people. 10 But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them testify that he has cursed both God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.”

1Ki 21:11 So the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city did as Jezebel directed in the letters she had written to them. 12 They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth in a prominent place among the people. 13 Then two scoundrels came and sat opposite him and brought charges against Naboth before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death. 14 Then they sent word to Jezebel: “Naboth has been stoned and is dead.”
1Ki 21:15 As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you. He is no longer alive, but dead.” 16 When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of Naboth’s vineyard.

1Ki 21:17 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite: 18 “Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. 19 Say to him, ‘This is what the LORD says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?’ Then say to him, ‘This is what the LORD says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, dogs will lick up your blood—yes, yours!’ ”

Verse 19 is actually about Ahab’s death, not Jezebel’s.  Hers is coming.

1Ki 21:20 Ahab said to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy!”
“I have found you,” he answered, “because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD. 21 ‘I am going to bring disaster on you. I will consume your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel—slave or free. 22 I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have provoked me to anger and have caused Israel to sin.’
1Ki 21:23 “And also concerning Jezebel the LORD says: ‘Dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.’

Here in verse 23, Elijah tells Ahab that Jezebel’s death will also be marked by her being eaten by dogs.

And the next verse tells of the same fate for “those belonging to Ahab who die in the city”.  Those who doe outside the city will be eaten by birds.  

1Ki 21:24 “Dogs will eat those belonging to Ahab who die in the city, and the birds of the air will feed on those who die in the country.”
1Ki 21:25 (There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, urged on by Jezebel his wife. 26 He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the LORD drove out before Israel.) 

Finally, verse 25 tells of the part Jezebel played in making Ahab the worst man ever. 

Her name afterwards came to be used as the synonym for a wicked woman (Rev. 2:20).  ⁹Easton, M. G. (1893). In Easton’s Bible dictionary. New York: Harper & Brothers.

Details of the life, evil deeds and death of Jezebel

Everything else we know about Jezebel is told in 1 and 2 Kings.  I include the passages, but will provide only summaries of what’s in them.  That’s enough for the purpose of looking at the letter to the church in Thyatira.  If you’d like to read the passage, just click on the + sign by the NIV title to expand it.

We’re told right away that Ahab did more evil than anyone before him.  Committing the sins of Jeroboam was trivial.  Jezebel led him to do far worse things.  Things that brought out more anger from God than any king before him.

It was Elijah who told Ahab the Lord was going to stop the rain.  Now, he’s going to speak to Ahab again, and the rain will resume.

Obadiah, who is faithful to the Lord, is afraid to deliver Ahab’s message to Ahab.  Ahab assures him it will be OK. 

This is an amazing demonstration of the power of the Lord and the total lack of power of the pagan gods. 

And yet, look what happens next. 

Jezebel threatens Elijah, and Elijah is afraid.  Afraid, in spite of what the Lord just did.

But God didn’t desert His prophet. An angel of the Lord appeared to feed Elijah.  For certain, with food for his body.  But apparently also with food for his soul.

It’s important for us to remember that God won’t desert us.  And when we fail to remember that, God will still come after us. 

There’s a lesson here for the church in Thyatira and for us as individuals.

This is what we looked at earlier, the events surrounding the death of Naboth – and the part played by Jezebel.  All while Ahab doesn’t have the strength to do the deed himself, but is perfectly willing to take what Jezebel got for him through her evil scheme.

Between the previous passage and this one, Elijah was taken up to Heaven.  We now have Elisha working in his place.

Elijah Taken Up to Heaven

…
2Ki 2:9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”
“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.

2Ki 2:10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise not.”

2Ki 2:11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart.
…

Elisha sends one of the other prophets to go tell Jehu that he is anointed King by God.  he gives a shorter version that Elijah of what’s to become of Jezebel, Ahab and the house of Ahab. 

Here’s a bit of info on Joram:

2Ki 3:1 Joram son of Ahab became king of Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned twelve years. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, but not as his father and mother had done. He got rid of the sacred stone of Baal that his father had made. 3 Nevertheless he clung to the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.

That descriptive passage sounds like a portion of the seven letters in Revelation, doesn’t it?  Maybe something for us to learn from?

Finally, Jezebel has reached her end.  But look at all the destruction she left in her wake.

One of the amazing things from all this though – the Israelites didn’t really learn.  After much bloodshed against the royal family of Ahab and the ministers of Baal, here’s the very next thing we read in 2 Kings.  Notice that it also starts off with one of those good news, but nevertheless warnings.

Joash Repairs the Temple

12:1-21 pp — 2Ch 24:1-14; 24:23-27

2Ki 12:1 In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. 2 Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 3 The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

2Ki 12:4 Joash said to the priests, “Collect all the money that is brought as sacred offerings to the temple of the LORD—the money collected in the census, the money received from personal vows and the money brought voluntarily to the temple. 5 Let every priest receive the money from one of the treasurers, and let it be used to repair whatever damage is found in the temple.”

2Ki 12:6 But by the twenty-third year of King Joash the priests still had not repaired the temple. 7 Therefore King Joash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and asked them, “Why aren’t you repairing the damage done to the temple? Take no more money from your treasurers, but hand it over for repairing the temple.” 8 The priests agreed that they would not collect any more money from the people and that they would not repair the temple themselves.

2Ki 12:9 Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid. He placed it beside the altar, on the right side as one enters the temple of the LORD. The priests who guarded the entrance put into the chest all the money that was brought to the temple of the LORD. 10 Whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, the royal secretary and the high priest came, counted the money that had been brought into the temple of the LORD and put it into bags. 11 When the amount had been determined, they gave the money to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. With it they paid those who worked on the temple of the LORD—the carpenters and builders, 12 the masons and stonecutters. They purchased timber and dressed stone for the repair of the temple of the LORD, and met all the other expenses of restoring the temple.

2Ki 12:13 The money brought into the temple was not spent for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets or any other articles of gold or silver for the temple of the LORD; 14 it was paid to the workmen, who used it to repair the temple. 15 They did not require an accounting from those to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, because they acted with complete honesty. 16 The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the temple of the LORD; it belonged to the priests.

2Ki 12:17 About this time Hazael king of Aram went up and attacked Gath and captured it. Then he turned to attack Jerusalem. 18 But Joash king of Judah took all the sacred objects dedicated by his fathers—Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah—and the gifts he himself had dedicated and all the gold found in the treasuries of the temple of the LORD and of the royal palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram, who then withdrew from Jerusalem.

2Ki 12:19 As for the other events of the reign of Joash, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 20 His officials conspired against him and assassinated him at Beth Millo, on the road down to Silla. 21 The officials who murdered him were Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer. He died and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. And Amaziah his son succeeded him as king.

There were some issues that may also have been relevant to the Thyatira church, and to us as individuals.  

First, the people were still burning incense and making sacrifices in the high places.  Getting rid of idol worship seems to be impossible.  The Israelites couldn’t do it.  And while we may have different idols today, we can’t do it either.

Then there was the problem of the priests collecting money, but not doing the repairs to the temple.  Not repairing God’s house.  They were literally stealing money from God through their actions.  Another problem that just never seems to go away.

Joash was killed by some of his officers because he murdered the son of Jehoiada, the priest.  The treachery just continues.

Among so many other reasons, possibly learning some lessons from the past is why we really should study the Old Testament.  That a message Paul also tried to get across in 1 Corinthians.

Warnings From Israel’s History

1Co 10:1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.

1Co 10:6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry.” 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test the Lord, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.

1Co 10:11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

To the extent we fail to learn from the Bible, New or Old Testament, we are doomed to relive it.

It’s a problem for all of us.  And for each of the seven churches in Revelation.  But apparently, a special problem for the church in Thyatira.  So let’s keep going with that in mind.

I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.

Whoever is represented by the Jezebel in the Thyatira church, Jesus has been patient and has given her time to repent.  But there always comes a time of reckoning.  Since she is having such a negative effect on this church, both she and those who follow her will suffer.

Notice, that’s very much in line with the Jezebel of the Old Testament.  She convinced Ahab to follow her evil ways.  And ultimately, both she and everyone in the house of Ahab died horrible deaths.  And while we didn’t read the details, but did mention them, all the ministers of Baal were killed as well.

It seems that Jesus is going to do the same thing in this church.  In the next segment, we move on to the “so this is what’s going to happen” portion of the letter.

So let’s think about that and move on to the next part of the letter to the church in Thyatira the “So …” section.

“so” in the letter to the church in Thyatira

Now, we’ll look at the “So …” section. As in, so what’s next? Previously, we looked at Jezebel from the Old Testament. Now, we have a new Jezebel type of person in this church. The OT Jezebel came to a horrible end, as did her followers. It seems that Jesus is going to do the same thing in this church.  Let’s move on to the “so this is what’s going to happen” portion of the letter.

So …

Based on the “But …” portion of the letter, Jesus says to the people in this church who need to change their ways”

So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead.

As with the Old Testament Jezebel, the price to be paid will be not only Jezebel, but those who follow her.  The thing here though – the time for repenting by the false prophetess in Thyatira is over.  She’s doomed.  However, there’s still a chance for her followers.

While the letter to the church in Thyatira doesn’t explain how Jezebel was given a chance to repent, or why that chance is now over, we can draw some conclusions.  As always, we need to be careful of a few things while doing that.  Stay within the Bible.  Don’t draw unwarranted conclusions, paying extra attention to our own personal biases.  And don’t assume that whatever conclusions we do reach is the complete list.

If you read this in a group, it’s likely that each person has a different list of things.  It’s only natural.  We’re at different levels in our study of the Bible and in our faith.  We have different life experiences.  And based on the first things, we probably have different expectations for the future.  Not only that, but as we grow and mature in our faith, we will see different things.

With that in mind, here are some possible conclusions as to why the Jezebel in Thyatira has reached the end of her time there.  Of course, it’s also a list of things for which we should examine ourselves, to be sure we don’t even start down that path.

Some in the church have already called for repentance

Godly men called upon the church to repent, but she refused to do so. Therefore, there is no call to repent in this letter. Only judgment remains. This church remains apart from the truth of God until she is joined with all the systems of religious evil of the world (cf. chs. 18–19).  ¹⁰Hindson, E. E., & Kroll, W. M. (Eds.). (1994). KJV Bible Commentary (p. 2663). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

It only makes sense that someone has called for repentance.  God would not pass judgment with no chance to turn back.  Check out the passage below about how many times we should forgive someone.

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

Mt 18:21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Mt 18:22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

Mt 18:23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

Mt 18:26 “The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

Mt 18:28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

Mt 18:29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’

Mt 18:30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

Mt 18:32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

Mt 18:35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”

Not so obvious to non-Christians is the meaning of I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.  Sometimes it’s translated as seventy times seven.  It’s not that there’s a difference or a discrepancy.  The number given is something to represent unlimited.  In other words, Jesus told Peter that we should always forgive, with no limit.

Given that, how can God Himself put a limit on?

Actually, there is one way.  But one that’s not ours to forgive.

A Call to Persevere

Heb 10:19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Heb 10:26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Heb 10:32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.

Heb 10:35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For in just a very little while,
“He who is coming will come and will not delay.

Heb 10:38 But my righteous one will live by faith.
And if he shrinks back,
I will not be pleased with him.” 39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

Pay special attention to:

Heb 10:26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

Of course, that may not apply to the Thyatiran Jezebel.  It’s possible that she was never a believer in the first place.  

But what about the other people in that church?  Or our church, if there’s a Jezebel in it?  When we add the passage above to the Great Commission, there should be someone (more than just one, actually) who tries to reach this Jezebel.  If that didn’t happen in Thyatira, would Jesus have told them:  

I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
and
Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): Only hold on to what you have until I come.

I doubt it.  I believe it’s safe to assume there were at least some in that church who spoke with her.  Some who gave her opportunities to repent.  And therefore, God is justified in passing judgment now.  Not only for her to pay the price, but to save the faithful people remaining in the church.

It’s hard to balance forgiveness and falling into a trap

There is a striking contrast between this church and that in Ephesus, for the church in Thyatira was not defective in love, whereas Ephesus had abandoned its first love. But, while Ephesus had no tolerance for error and false messengers, Thyatira’s fault was a willingness to allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols (v. 20). This contrast points up the difficulty of striking a balance between a generous and forgiving love and a proper intolerance for heresy and sin in the church.  ¹¹Gregg, S. (1997). Revelation, four views: a parallel commentary (p. 71). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers.

It is hard.  We have to walk that line between loving someone and not becoming so accustomed to their  ungodly ways that we start to think it’s OK.  Worse yet, before we start to follow their ways.

It would be so much easier if we just kick them out of the church.  But while that may be necessary at some point, it shouldn’t be done without much prayer and also, somehow, be done in a loving manner.

On the extremes, there’s the possibility that we become like the church in Pergamum.  We certainly don’t want to hear the things they did:

Rev 2:14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. 15 Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

On the other end of the spectrum we have the danger of quenching the Holy Spirit.  If we are supposed to be the ones who try to get someone to repent, and we continually refuse to do so, at some point we may be guilty of quenching the Holy Spirit.  As I said, the Biblical Jezebel never had any interest in God.  But we can’t necessarily say the same for a modern-day Jezebel.  Without prayer, we just don’t know what to do about “her”.

But we can keep in mind something Peter wrote.  As you read the passage below, prepare for the transition to the next portion of Jesus’ letter to Thyatira – this Jezebel’s followers and what will happen to them.  Keep in mind also, if we’re not careful, we can become one of her followers.

False Teachers and Their Destruction

2Pe 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

OK – there goes Jezebel.  But what of her followers?

2Pe 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment;

Not good news for the Jezebel followers.

5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;

Nor is this.  Although, there’s a glimmer of hope with Noah and his family.

6 if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men 8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)—

We’re getting ever closer to a description of the church in Thyatira with Lot.

9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.

This is a pretty good description of what’s going on in Thyatira.  Question – what about our churches and our own lives?  Do we see any of it in our own circle of existence?

10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority.
Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; 11 yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. 12 But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.

2Pe 2:13 They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done.

There’s always a price to be paid.  The only question is – who pays?  Us for our own sins?  Or will we follow Jesus and accept His offer of payment for our sins?

Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.

Here’s one of the problems.  Evil people might be perfectly willing to be with us.  But who is impacting who?  Are we converting them?  Or are they corrupting us?

14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! 15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. 16 But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—a beast without speech—who spoke with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.

The names may be different now.  There’s no group literally following Balaam by name – not that I’ve heard.  But the practice of doing things that are against God continues.

2Pe 2:17 These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. 18 For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. 20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”

And the ending there is the real “killer”. 

If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.  

It’s hard for us to comprehend, but Peter says it’s better to never know Jesus than to know Him and fall away.

That should be more than enough reason for us to be concerned and show love to those who are in danger of going that route.  We just need to be sure, through the strength of the Holy Spirit, that we don’t go the same way,

After looking at what Peter wrote, we can idea about when Jesus’ letter to the church in Thyatira says:

I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead.

Her children, of course, are the followers of the false prophetess Jezebel in the church.  The death may or may not be a physical one.  But for sure, it will be the spiritual second death, unless they repent. 

The only things the followers may have in their favor are (1) someone who will lovingly try to get them to repent and get back on the right path and (2) the fact that God is still offering forgiveness to them – as opposed to Jezebel who has no such offer anymore.

Again – knowing these things should have a huge impact on the way we live our lives.  First, to avoid being in the situation of following a Jezebel.  And also to be ready, willing and able to help someone who is following her.

So, continued:

As if what we just read wasn’t enough, Jesus continues in this letter to the church in Thyatira.

Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. 

That statement is redundant, given the rest of the letter.  More than redundant.  Clearly this is something Jesus wants everyone to be totally clear about.

Earlier in Revelation, we read:

One Like a Son of Man

Rev 1:9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”

…

John was told to write on a scroll.  Not that it literally said “a” scroll.  But it did say “scroll” singular.  That means one.  A.  And therefore, also means to send “it”, the one and only scroll John wrote on.  There weren’t seven scrolls, one for each church.  Just the one.

That’s probably also why scholars believe the one scroll was sent in order to each of the seven churches.  Each church, in the order mentioned by Jesus, was on a singular path, starting with Ephesus and then being passed on to the next church through to Laodicea.  

That’s important, because with that logic, each church already knows what Jesus wrote to each of the other churches.  But here, Jesus specifically says, Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. That’s something each church should be able to deduce on their own.  But Jesus wants to make extra certain they know this.

But back up a moment.  No – these churches didn’t have a New Testament to read.  Or even to be read to them.  But then, at that time, they were used to having to memorize things.  Surely, they already were are that God knew everything they did and thought.  That knowledge went way back in their Jewish Scriptures and would have been known even to Gentiles through the teachings of the churches.

So this is at least double redundant.  The fact that Jesus searches hearts and minds would have been well known.  As was His requirement for justice.

So I think we also need to note that the first four churches shared a common problem.  They all had issues with false doctrine in their churches.  It came in different ways, and was handled in different ways.  But the common thread existed in all four of them.

I also believe that we need to recognize the significance of false teaching coming up in four of the seven churches.  That’s more than half.  It’s very common.  It’s also unacceptable to Jesus.  It’s not something we should ignore.  But it is something we should always watch for, both in our churches and in ourselves.

So, continued:

Jesus has still more to say to the church in Thyatira. And, by the way, through them to all of us.

The difference here though is that this part of the letter is meant for those who have not turned away from Jesus.

Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): 

Only hold on to what you have until I come.

What are Satan’s so-called deep secrets?

There are different viewpoints on this.  Probably the most complete one I found that makes a lot of sense is this:

the depths—These false prophets boasted peculiarly of their knowledge of mysteries and the deep things of God; pretensions subsequently expressed by their arrogant title, Gnostics (“full of knowledge”).

There are a couple problems right away.  For one – boasting.  But on top of that, boasting about something that’s not even close to being true.

The Spirit here declares their so-called “depths,” (namely, of knowledge of divine things) to be really “depths of Satan”;

Note: so-called.

just as in Rev 2:9, He says, instead of “the synagogue of God,” “the synagogue of Satan.” HENGSTENBERG thinks the teachers themselves professed to fathom the depths of Satan, giving loose rein to fleshly lusts, without being hurt thereby. They who thus think to fight Satan with his own weapons always find him more than a match for them. … The original sin of Adam was a desire to know EVIL as well as good, so in HENGSTENBERG’S view, those who professed to know “the depths of Satan.” It is the prerogative of God alone to know evil fully, without being hurt or defiled by it.  ¹²Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 558). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

I suspect even the worst of the evil people who have inhabited this world will be totally shocked when they come face to face with 100% true evil in the next life.  There will be nothing but evil, since nothing of God will be present where they end up.  Only a defeated and incredibly angry Satan. 

If we need any further incentive to talk to our family, loved ones and friends about Jesus, maybe the idea of saving them from this will help.  Can you even imagine what it will be like for the “least” evil people of those who aren’t saved?  Would you even wish that on anyone you know?

So, continued:

Jesus expands on a portion of His words for those who have not deserted Him.

Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): 

Only hold on to what you have until I come.

For whoever isn’t following the Thyatira Jezebel, Jesus adds no other warnings or tasks.  Only that they hang on until He comes for them.  This led one commentary to say:

… further admonition is added. The spectacle of sin and its results spoke loudly enough to them. Those who had remained true must have been a choice group—a joy to any pastor even in the darkest hour. That which ye have, hold fast till I come, was all that was said—and it was not really necessary, for that is what they had been doing all along. Actually it was more of a compliment than an exhortation.  ¹³Blaney, H. J. S. (1966). Revelation . In Hebrews-Revelation (Vol. 6, p. 436). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

I’m someone who doesn’t really know what to do with compliments.  Earlier in my life I never got that many, and when I did it often seemed to be for something really simple.  It was weird to receive a compliment.  Now – if I get one, I feel like I don’t really deserve it.  After all, anything good that I accomplish is through the Holy Spirit.  All I did was not mess up.

But to get something like Only hold on to what you have until I come from Jesus – at a time and situation like what’s going on in Thyatira?  That would be worth hearing.  I wouldn’t put that down as unnecessary.  It seems like encouragement that was badly needed and probably much appreciated.  

I feel like, after hearing the letter addressed to my church, I’d be convicted for not having done more for those who did follow their local Jezebel.  It would be awful.  I don’t think I’d feel like my life was a job well done.  But hearing this from Jesus would be something I feel like I don’t deserve, but nonetheless welcome to my ears and my soul.

Whew – let’s take a breath

That was a lot! Time for a break in the action. In the next and final portion of the letter. we’ll look at what The Spirit says to the churches, what is to be given to the overcomers, and some conclusions about the letter to the Church in Thyatira.

The conclusion of the Letter to the Church in Thyatira.

Now, we see the conclusion of this letter. It includes what I’ve called the “Hear” section, which is almost always identical in both words and placement in all seven letters. For the church in Thyatira, we’ll find out what can be the outcome for both those who appear to be in deep trouble and those who only need to hang on.

Hear:

As with all the other churches, this means the letter can only be understood via the Holy Spirit.  As we saw in the letter to the Ephesian church, it goes back to a prophecy in Isaiah.  If you haven’t read it yet, or want a refresher, it’s right here – Revelation – The letter to the loveless church in Ephesus.

Some thoughts on the church in Thyatira

This church has clear lines drawn between two groups of people in it. One has been following Jesus and was told Only hold on to what you have until I come. But the other was reminded about the Old Testament Jezebel and was warned about the dire consequences of not changing their ways.

But, is it fair that both receive the same reward if they overcome? We’ll soon find out.

This is, for all practical purposes, two churches in one location.  The Church of Jesus.  And the church of Jezebel.

The church of Jezebel is complicated.  I think they probably thought they were doing great – and had even better things ahead.  Going deeper into the things of Satan would, in their minds, lead them to ever greater heights. 

However, Jesus knew that the reality for those people was that their “high” was totally false.  On the other hand, Jesus knows where this part of the church really is.  In big trouble.  Jezebel is doomed.  The only hope for her followers in Thyatira is a major trigger event.  One that will bring them back to the very beginning, as in what Jesus told the church in Ephesus, with some deep soul searching and a lot of relearning about what Christianity really is.

If we find ourselves in either of these situations, I still feel like some soul searching is called for.  For the followers of the Thyatira Jezebel, they must decide whether to repent or go down in flames like their leader.  And for those who have stayed true to Jesus, will they be able to help anyone from the Jezebel side of the church if they decide they want to repent.  

To those who overcome:

If we find ourselves in either of these situations, I still feel like some soul searching is called for.  For the followers of the Thyatira Jezebel, they must decide whether to repent or go down in flames like their leader.  And for those who have stayed true to Jesus, will they be able to help anyone from the Jezebel side of the church if they decide they want to repent.  

To those who overcome:

To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—
       ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter;
       he will dash them to pieces like pottery’—
just as I have received authority from my Father. 

I will also give him the morning star

To those who overcome – I will give authority over the nations

The first question that comes to me here – what does Jesus mean by “the nations“?  It would be really nice if the answer was obvious.  Unfortunately, it’s not.

1484 ἔθνος [ethnos /eth·nos/] n n. Probably from 1486; TDNT 2:364; TDNTA 201; GK 1620; 164 occurrences; AV translates as “Gentiles” 93 times, “nation” 64 times, “heathen” five times, and “people” twice. 1 a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together. 1A a company, troop, swarm. 2 a multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus. 2A the human race. 3 a race, nation, people group. 4 in the OT, foreign nations not worshipping the true God, pagans, Gentiles. 5 Paul uses the term for Gentile Christians.  ¹⁴Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.

That’s kind of all over the map.  

And the part about ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery’ is nothing short of scary if it has anything to do with Gentile Christians.  Being one of them, the thought of even needed to still be ruled with an iron scepter or broken like a piece of bad pottery isn’t pleasant.  I’d hope to be past that point in the next life.

Here are some other possibilities for what this might mean:

Here the overcomer is described as the one who keeps My works until the end, with whom Christ will share His own power over the nations (v. 26). The fulfillment of this promise has been variously applied: (a) to reigning with Christ over the unsaved nations during a future millennium (20:4), (b) to participating in the reign of the saints with Christ after death in heaven (another way of understanding 20:4), or (c) to reigning over Christians of lower rank in the new earth, assuming there will be varying degrees of authority awarded to various saints (see Matt. 25:21, 23; Luke 19:17, 19; 1 Cor. 15:41f).  ¹⁵Gregg, S. (1997). Revelation, four views: a parallel commentary (p. 72). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers.

In any case, let’s look at the source from which this comes, Psalm 2. 

Psalm 2

Ps 2:1 Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
Ps 2:2 The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the LORD
and against his Anointed One.

…

This doesn’t sound like life in Heaven or on the New Earth.  More like either the present time or maybe after the thousand year reign of Christ, when Satan is released.

Satan’s Doom

Rev 20:7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

If that’s what He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery is about, then it makes some sense.  However, it certainly conflicts with the thought by some scholars that this reign is permanent.  Nothing in the passage says how long Satan will be allowed to be free.  But there has to be a limit.  in fact, the implication is that while Satan will prepare for this battle, it won’t actually happen.  Jerusalem will be surrounded by the forces of evil – but God appears to intervene before anything happens.

This seems to be in line with what some call the Ezekiel Prophecy – from Ezekiel 38 and 39.  We won’t go into it here, but Ezekiel 38 is the preparation for the battle.  But Ezekiel 39 has God destroying the forces surrounding God’s people before anything happens to them.  The end of the final battle and evil is gone from the earth forever.

To those who overcome: I will also give him the morning star

There’s no question about what this means.  Jesus provides us with the answer Himself, in the very last chapter of Revelation – the last chapter of The Bible.

Jesus Is Coming

Rev 22:7 “Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.”

…

As we saw at the beginning of Revelation, Jesus is going to identify Himself in many of the ways seen throughout the seven letters to the seven churches.

Rev 22:12 “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Rev 22:14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Rev 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

…

And there’s the bright Morning Star.  Jesus.  

Apparently, the same reward for overcoming is available to everyone in this church. It doesn’t matter if they were in the “hang on” group or the “best better get your act together group”. Does that seem fair? If you think it’s not, hang on for just a moment more.

You may have noticed, there’s something “missing” from this letter. More accurately, something that’s out of order. Let’s see what, and possibly why.

Hear:

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

As with all the other churches, this means the letter can only be understood via the Holy Spirit.  As we saw in the letter to the Ephesian church, it goes back to a prophecy in Isaiah.  If you haven’t read it yet, it’s right here – Revelation – The letter to the loveless church in Ephesus.

Now – as to the issue of something being out of order. For whatever reason, Thyatira is the only church that receives this portion of the letter at the very end.  I could find no discussions as to why this might be the case.  Somehow, it feels significant.  Nothing in the Bible is left to chance.  

The only thing I can think of, but not confirm at all, is the importance of closing words.  All of the other letters end with a message to those who overcome.  Thyatira ends with He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  

Was that related to the earlier statement of Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds?  A repetition of a sort, to really drive home the importance of paying attention to what was going on in Thyatira?  This mix of very Godly and very ungodly, together in one church?

Or maybe something to point out, again, that the local Jezebel is doomed, and her followers are on the same path?  This is a church with one person doomed, some number of her followers on the way to destruction, and the remainder that are told to just hang on.  In some ways, it’s an extreme case of what we’ve seen in other churches.  Actually – two extremes, on both ends of the spectrum.  Was that the point?

We just don’t know.  Regardless though, there is much to examine in this church.  For the good of our local church. For our own good.  And everything in between – small groups, friends within the church, ministries in the church, various service teams, Etc.  And consider the new Christian entering this church.  It must be so confusing with two sets of people teaching two very different doctrines and having two very different lifestyles.

Ultimately, if we listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to this church, we have two possible outcomes depending on who we follow in this church.  One leads to destruction and the second death.  The other leads to Jesus and eternal life with Him.  So yes, it’s most important that He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

A final thought on overcomers and the importance of hearing the Holy Spirit

Originally, and after a couple revisions, this was the end of what I wrote for the church in Thyatira. I used it in a small group, but didn’t publish it. Now, as I’m about to hit that publish button, something came to me.

There is one more thing to consider about the placement of the Hear section. It goes back to something Jesus said. Something that, according to tradition in His time, was a small but really significant change to the way something was normally told.

Without the Holy Spirit to prompt the people in the early church, they may not catch that difference, let alone understand the significance of it.

Nor would I likely have waited this long to reformat/publish this final installment of the letter to the church in Thyatira. In which case I would have published before reading about the story Jesus told. And probably forget about the Thyatira letter and therefore not make the connection we’re about to read. In fact, I didn’t even highlight the paragraph in the book I was reading – that’s how little it meant at the time. Clearly, I didn’t get it this morning. But now – the little light goes on and the connection is made.

So – let’s get into it. As you read it, try to catch the significance of everything I just wrote.

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

Mt 20:1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

Mt 20:3 “About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.
“He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. 6 About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

Mt 20:7 “ ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

Mt 20:8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

Mt 20:9 “The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

Mt 20:13 “But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

Mt 20:16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

OK – that seems pretty obvious and straightforward, at least to most people, right?

But, there’s more to Parable of the workers in the field. Much more! When we read it today, we think it means the owner can pay whatever he wants. However, that’s not at all how the original version of this story went. The version before Jesus changed it. Here’s how it went in Jesus time:

In a rabbinic story of the time, the owner of a farm went into town to hire temporary workers for the harvest. The day wore on, and as late as the eleventh hour he recruited one last batch of workers, who had a mere hour remaining to prove their worth. In the familiar version of the story, the latecomers made up for lost time by working so hard that the foreman decided to reward them with a whole day’s pay. Jesus’ version, though, says nothing about the diligence of the workers. He accents instead the generosity of the employer — God — who lavishes his grace on veterans and newcomers alike. No one gets cheated and everyone gets rewarded, far beyond what they deserve.  ¹⁶Yancey, Philip. The Jesus I Never Knew (p. 95). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

Do you see the difference? There’s always this question with Christianity – is salvation based on works or faith? Deeds or faith? And here we see it spelled out clearly. The Rabbinic version was about works/deeds. The men worked so hard the owner gave them the same pay as those who toiled all day.

But Jesus changes this all around. His parable says all who follow Him get the same pay. It’s about having the faith to follow – not about who works hardest. And so, Jesus is essentially telling us in this parable – you may have heard it’s all about works, but I’m telling you it’s all about faith.

Of course, before we go overboard and think we need to do nothing but say we have faith – that’s not what Jesus said either. In everything Jesus said, faith and belief were faith and belief so strong that we act on it. And so, it’s not just work, but faith and then following up on that faith.

Further, it’s not all the same work for everyone. It’s not one size fits all. It’s fulfilling the plan God has for each of us, whatever that may be. For some, maybe it’s a lifetime of service to God. For others, maybe it’s something that begins late in life. More most, it’s probably somewhere in between.

But regardless, the “pay” is the same – all who accept Jesus death on the cross as our salvation and Him as our Lord and Savior (including acting on what we believe) – all will be with Him in eternity. In other words, someone who began to follow Jesus as a child will be with Jesus in the next life just as surely as one of the two men on the cross with Jesus at His death.

So – maybe this is why He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches is at the very end? Because we need that reminder immediately after reading what happens to the overcome? Because what Jesus says to this church is so different than the others? And because our sense of what’s fair may object to this?

However, without the knowledge of the Rabbinic story, as told in Jesus’ time, we don’t really get the impact of what Jesus said. That’s a reason to ask the Holy Spirit to guide us with everything we read.

Footnotes

• 1
  Gregg, S. (1997). Revelation, four views: a parallel commentary (pp. 70–71). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers.
• 2
  Young, R. (1997). Young’s Literal Translation (Re 2:18). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
• 3
  Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
• 4
  Gregg, S. (1997). Revelation, four views: a parallel commentary (p. 71). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers.
• 5
  Blaney, H. J. S. (1966). Revelation . In Hebrews-Revelation (Vol. 6, pp. 434–435). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
• 6
  Vos, H. F. (1988). Baal. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 1, p. 239). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.
• 7
  Newell, J. (2003). Asherah, Asherim or Asherah. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 125). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
• 8
  Easton, M. G. (1893). In Easton’s Bible dictionary. New York: Harper & Brothers.
• 9
  Easton, M. G. (1893). In Easton’s Bible dictionary. New York: Harper & Brothers.
• 10
  Hindson, E. E., & Kroll, W. M. (Eds.). (1994). KJV Bible Commentary (p. 2663). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
• 11
  Gregg, S. (1997). Revelation, four views: a parallel commentary (p. 71). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers.
• 12
  Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 558). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
• 13
  Blaney, H. J. S. (1966). Revelation . In Hebrews-Revelation (Vol. 6, p. 436). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
• 14
  Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
• 15
  Gregg, S. (1997). Revelation, four views: a parallel commentary (p. 72). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers.
• 16
  Yancey, Philip. The Jesus I Never Knew (p. 95). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.