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Thyatira
(The church that condoned sin)
Thyatira exists today as the
Turkish city of Akhisar, meaning "white castle". It lies
in the far west of Turkey, south of Istanbul and almost
due east of Athens. Although it is about 50 miles from
the Mediterranean, it would have been closer in ancient
times, as the sea has retreated some. In the Roman
Empire, Thyatira stood on the border between Lydia and
Mysia. It was famous for its dyeing and was a
center of the indigo trade. Among the ancient
ruins of the city, inscriptions have been found relating
to the guild of dyers in the city. More guilds were
present in Thyatira than any other contemporary city in
the Roman province of Asia. Inscriptions mention
the following: wool-workers, linen-workers, makers of
outer garments, dyers, leather-workers, tanners,
potters, bakers, slave-dealers and bronze-smiths.
Thyatira was never an important
political city. It was located on a trade route
between Pergamum and Sardis and never reached the
prominence that some of the other cities in Asia
achieved. Today Thyatira has a population of about
50,000 people. The name "Thyatira" means "the castle of
Thya." Other names which it was known by are Pelopia and
Semiramis. Before the time of Nicator the place was
regarded as a holy city because of the temple of the
ancient Lydian sun-god, Tyrimnos who was identified with
the Greek God Apollo. Near this temple games were
held in his honor. Upon the early coins of
Thyatira this Asiatic god is represented as a horseman,
bearing a double-headed battle-ax. A pagan goddess
associated with him was Boreatene. Other pagan gods were
worshipped here as well such as Asklepios, Baachus,
Artemis.
There was another temple at
Thyatira which was dedicated to the worship of the
Chaldean Goddess, Sambethe. At this temple was a
prophetess who was well known in the city and who
claimed to receive knowledge directly from the pagan god.
She then imparted this information to the worshippers
who came to the temple. It is quite possible this
well known prophetess was represented as the Jezebel
Jesus mentioned in his message to the church here.
Lydia the seller of purple was
from this city, "And a certain woman named Lydia, a
seller of purple , of the city of Thyatira, which
worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened,
that she attended unto the things which were spoken of
Paul. And when she was baptized, and her
household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me
to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and
abide there. And she constrained us" (Acts
16:14-15). Lydia's conversion happened when
Paul was in Philippi. It is possible the Lydia and
her household started the church in Thyatira upon her
return. However if this is not the case, Paul
spent 2 years in Ephesus preaching the gospel, "And
this continued by the space of two years; so that all
they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord
Jesus, both Jews and Greeks" (Acts 19:10). It
is obvious that Paul was instrumental in starting this
congregation of the Lord's church in Thyatira.
Revelation 2:18
"And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These things saith
the Son of God, who hath his eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet are
like unto burnished brass:"
There's no doubt here who is doing the talking.
He identifies Himself as the Son of God. Any Christian on earth
would know who this is referring to instantly. His eyes are
described as being like a flame of fire, piercing, illuminating and
consuming. The illuminating piercing eyes of the Son of God see
everything; the good and the bad, the just and the unjust. Nothing
escapes his notice. His feet are like burnished brass, which is a
repeat of the imagery of Jesus in Revelation 1:15. Daniel used
this imagery as well in Daniel 10:6, "his body also was like the
beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as
flaming torches, and his arms and his feet like unto burnished brass,
and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude."
Burnished brass was purified in a heated furnace. The imagery here
is of feet, firm, strong and pure, that can stamp one's enemies out in
fiery judgment, which is exactly what is going to happen in the end to
all the enemies of God (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).
Revelation 2:19
"I know thy works, and thy love and faith and ministry and patience, and
that thy last works are more than the first."
As with the other churches, Jesus is well aware
of their good qualities and they are commended for them. Their good
qualities are very similar to the Thessalonians whom Paul praised as
well; "remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of
love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and
Father" (1 Thessalonians 1:3).
The Christians in Thyatira had "agape" love
which is translated as "charity" in the KJV. Agape love is the one
that will compel others to give of themselves to others. It is a
self sacrificing love that expresses itself in the interest of the well
being of others.
The Christians in Thyatira were commended for
their faith, that by which we are to walk and work. Hebrews 11
lists a whole roll of Biblical people who lived and walked by faith.
There are two faiths spoken of in the Bible. There is the faith
that saves which is characterized as faith in action. Faith is
absolutely necessary for our salvation, (Hebrews 11:6). But, it is a
comprehensive term which includes many things. Belief is faith
assenting; repentance is faith turning; Confession is faith speaking;
baptism is faith submitting; the Christian life is faith serving and
rejoicing.
The other faith spoken of in scripture is a
dead faith which is devoid of works. James wrote of this faith;
"What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and
have not works? can faith save him?" (James 2:14). It is certain
that the faith Jesus was commending the Christians at Thyatira for was
not a workless, lifeless, dead faith.
The Christians at Thyatira were commended for
their "ministry", or "service" in the
KJV. Our
service to God includes our worship. However this is not where it
ends. Christians are commanded to "serve one another"
(Galatians 5:13), "from the heart" (Ephesians 6:6). Jesus
taught in Matthew 25:31-46 that when we serve one another, we are
in fact serving God. And in contrast, Jesus also taught that when
we do not serve one another, we are withholding our service to God.
So we know from the praise of Jesus that the Christians in Thyatira were
serving God and serving one another faithfully and acceptably in the
eyes of God.
The Christians at Thyatira were commended for
their patience. They were being steadfast under all circumstances.
While they did not live in the religious and political centers of Asia,
there were still plenty of pagan worship all about them. There was
persecution, there was need, there was hunger. Faithful Christians
were required to abstain from the worldly pagan practices in all forms.
The riotous public feasts where the meat from the animals sacrificed to
pagan gods were present here as well as in Pergamos and Ephesus
and we will see later on that Jesus addresses this specifically.
The Christians in Thyatira were commended for
all their works. Their works were increasing as they matured and
grew. They were doing more and more as opportunities presented
themselves. The application we can make from this for today
is that God is pleased when we serve Him faithfully and grow in works
which is commanded in scripture elsewhere (2 Peter 1:5-7).
We will see in the next letter to Sardis what Jesus' evaluation is for a
church who's works are not acceptable. The Christian today must
add the good qualities that the Christians in Thyatira were exhibiting
and grow in our works in order to be assured of living the faith of God
faithfully. Our works and faith are the totality of our Christian
walk.
Revelation 2:20
"Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou
sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to
teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things
sacrificed unto idols."
Once again as evidenced in previous letters to
other congregations, good works do not justify disobedience. While
the Christians in Thyatira were rich in good works and diligently
serving God and growing, they had something wrong that threatened their
standing with God. There was the presence of a woman who called
herself a prophetess. She was guilty of teaching and or seducing
God's faithful servants to commit fornication and to eat things
sacrificed to idols. This is the second time eating things
sacrificed to idols has been directly mentioned by Jesus and it was
referred to as the deeds of the Nicolaitans in letter to Ephesus.
Jesus made a direct connection between the doctrine of the Nicolaitans
and eating things sacrificed to idols in his letter to Pergamos.
While the Nicolaitans were not specifically mentioned, there is no
doubting the presence of their doctrine which suggests that the eating
of things sacrificed to idols was something not confined just to the
Nicolaitans.
Pagan worship was prevalent everywhere in the
Roman Empire. There were all kinds of Gods one could worship and
then there were the Emperors everyone was forced to worship. Many
of these pagan worships included animal sacrifices. With the sheer
volume of pagan gods, it is easy to see that there is going to be an
abundance of meat which unless consumed would otherwise be thrown away.
So the question then arises, what to do with all this meat? The
Roman citizens held public feasts where it was available to the general
population. This seemed like a logical and efficient way to
dispose of the slain animals and help to feed the poor citizenry.
The problem here is that God forbad the Christians to partake in these
feasts. Here was food aplenty for anyone who wished to eat their
fill and the Christians could not eat of it. The Christian
population of these cities were not the rich and powerful. They
were poor, they were persecuted, distrusted and rejected. It was
difficult for Christians to find paying jobs in order to feed their
families. Hunger is a powerful temptation and it would be very
difficult for the parents of anybody to watch their children go hungry
while the rest of the population ate their fill at these feasts.
The Christians of the first century were living
under some extremely difficult circumstances. One of the
applications we can make for ourselves today is that our circumstances
have nothing whatsoever to do with whether we must obey God or not.
If the first century Christians had to remain faithful no matter what
their circumstances were, then we can be assured today that we can be no
less if we are to be faithful as well.
The Christians in Thyatira permitted this
prophetess to teach error. She seduced them to commit fornication
and to eat things sacrificed to idols. We should keep in mind that
idol worship is spiritual fornication. This woman either taught or
enticed people to worship her god, or to directly participate in
physical fornication, both of which is condemned by God. We don't
know which specifically is in view here. It is likely that this is
inclusive of both. It's certain she was not seducing the
Christians to worship the one true and living God, else Jesus would have
not condemned her.
Jesus
chastised the church at Thyatira for allowing this woman to do this.
They either did not speak out against her, or they allowed her to
directly influence those within the church in some fashion without any
kind of restraint. The application for us today is that when
one tolerates error, he endorses it. Even silence can be an
endorsement of error. The church at Thyatira was doing
everything right except they were not speaking out against error when it
came to their doorstep.
Jesus called her Jezebel.
In old testament history Jezebel was the wife of Ahab, the 7th king over
the northern kingdom of Israel. she was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians.
Of particular interest to us is the similarity between Jezebel and the
prophetess Jesus mentioned who was teaching the people in the church at
Thyatira it was ok to eat meat sacrificed to idols. The story of
Elijah challenging the prophets of Baal to a confrontation is a well
known story from the Old Testament. Four hundred and fifty
prophets of Baal sacrificed a bullock on an alter and called on their
god to answer them. When Baal failed to answer, Elijah sacrificed
a bullock to God and his sacrifice was answered by fire from heaven.
Of interest to us in this study is that these four hundred and fifty
false prophets of Baal ate at Jezebel's table (1 Kings 18:19). The
original Jezebel worshipped a false god and ate with his prophets.
The false prophetess in Thyatira, represented as Jezebel, worshipped a
false god and taught the Christians it was ok to eat meat sacrificed to
idols with the people who were doing so.
Revelation 2:21-29
"And I gave her time that she should repent; and she willeth not to
repent of her fornication."
Later in the Revelation chapter 9 and chapter 16
we read of God sending plagues and pouring bowls of wrath out on the
Roman Empire. The purpose for this was to try and get the
persecutors to repent and turn to God (Revelation 9:20-21; 16:9-11).
God did not want to destroy the Roman Empire, rather He wanted them to
repent and even though they were killing His people, He gave them
warning after warning and chance after chance to turn from their
wickedness and be spared.
Have we ever wondered about
the Canaanites that Israel displaced when they took the promised
land? Why were the Canaanites removed from their homeland?
Was it fair that they lost the land and Israel received it?
God's longsuffering is the answer to those questions.
"And when the sun was
going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of
great darkness fell upon him. And he said unto Abram, Know of a
surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not
theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four
hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I
judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. And
thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a
good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither
again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full" (Genesis
15:12-16).
The iniquity of the
Amorites was not yet full. The Amorites are, in this context, the
Canaanites. Historically, the Amorites inhabited a larger region,
but at this time they dominated the land of Canaan. A few chapters
later, we learn that God would have spared Sodom if there had been
as few as 10 righteous people in it. God does not immediately and
swiftly destroy entire cities or nations, because of the evil of the
majority. He is longsuffering and gives everybody a chance to
repent and be saved. Thus it was with the Roman Empire.
They, just like the prophetess represented figuratively as Jezebel,
were given time and incentive to repent. "The Lord is not
slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is
longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).
Revelation 2:22
"Behold, I cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery
with her into great tribulation, except they repent of her works."
God's patience is running
out with this woman. She obviously likes to spend time in a
bed, so God is going to put her in one, but the bed He is going to
throw her into is one of eternal punishment. There are only
two options, repent or be punished. The penalty for sin is
tribulation and it carries eternal consequences as we will see in
verse 23. But even now, with God's patience nearly gone, He
still gives the exception that can save her soul and the souls of
those who company with her. They must repent. What a
message of hope, not only for the church of Thyatira, but for those
not within the church. It is never too late to repent as long
as one is alive in the flesh.
Revelation 2:23
"And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches
shall know that I am he that searcheth the reins and hearts: and I
will give unto each one of you according to your works."
"The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). God wasn't
going to allow the churches in Ephesus and Pergamos to get away with
sin, He sure isn't going to allow Jezebel and her consorts off
either. Jesus referred to those who company with her as her "children".
Followers of Christ are called the "children of God"
(Galatians 3:26). Those who follow after people like Jezebel
and do not pursue righteousness are the "children of the devil"
(1 John 3:10).
"and all the churches
shall know"
Jezebel and her children are going to be made an example of to the
other churches if they do not repent.
Jesus says here that He
searches the reins and the hearts of men. Elsewhere in the New
Testament we read, "Thou, Lord,
which knowest the hearts of all men" (Acts 1:24).
"Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all
things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do."
(Hebrews 4:13). There is no mistaking in the eyes of the
first century Christians who this is referring to.
"and I will give unto
each one of you according to your works"
Jesus says that He will give unto each one of them according to
their works. Jesus is speaking here to each individual in the
church at Thyatira. The application for us here today is that
we cannot take refuge in the collective works of a congregation.
We are each going to be rewarded according to our works. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a
man soweth, that shall he also reap"
(2 Corinthians 5:10). "For we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done
in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or
bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10).
Revelation 2:24
"But to you I say, to the rest that are
in Thyatira, as many as have not this teaching, who know not the deep
things of Satan, as they are wont to say; I cast upon you none other
burden."
Not everybody in the church at Thyatira endorsed
the teachings of this false prophetess. To those who did not,
Jesus said he would not burden them any further. In other words,
there were some in the church at Thyatira that Jesus found acceptable.
The application for us today is that the membership of a congregation is
not finally judged collectively, but individually. Just being in
association with a congregation of the Lord's people is not enough to
please Jesus. The world had penetrated the church at Thyatira.
They were guilty of allowing it. Not all of the membership were
guilty and to them no other burden but rejecting false teaching was
given to them.
Revelation 2:25
"Nevertheless that which ye have, hold fast till I come."
Jesus is speaking to the faithful in the church at Thyatira.
Don't give up what you do have. Don't let the world come into the
church any further. Don't give in; hold fast; hold solid; be
steadfast and don't give up.
Revelation 2:26
"And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works unto the end,
to him will I give authority over the nations"
Notice here that we have a definition of what it means to overcome and
how to do it. Those who overcome are the ones who keep the works
of Jesus Christ unto the end. That means following and obeying His
commandments to the end. This means every end; the end of
difficulties; the end of life and the end of the ages. Victory
comes to those individuals who overcome all opposition no matter whether
it comes from without, or from within the body of Christ.
The power over the nations means they will prevail
as the Lord's church over the nations. Rome is going to fall, but
Christianity will prevail and history has shown this to be true.
Many many nations have come and gone since the first century, but
Christianity has emerged victorious no matter what has happened.
Isaiah prophesied in chapter 9 verse 7 that of His kingdom there shall "be
no end". Daniel prophesied that the kingdom of Christ
would "never be destroyed" (Daniel 2:44). As long as the
earth stands, there will be Christians somewhere.
The application for us today is that the world
gains a foothold in the church and it widens and eventually becomes a
breach. Slowly, insidiously, the desires of men work their way in
and corrupt the purity of the church. God is warning us against
the world creeping into His church. God has left the
responsibility of the preservation of His kingdom in the hands of
mankind. We are the watchmen and the soldiers. He is counting on us to
carry the torch. The church was purchased by the blood of Jesus and since
then has been upheld by the
blood of the martyrs of centuries of persecution. Were it not for their
staunch faithfulness and loyalty, the true New Testament church would not be
what it is today. There would not be any hope for us or for the world.
In order for the church to be
victorious over the nations in the future, we need to keep the church strong and
pure for our children and their children. If they are to have the hope
tomorrow that we have today, we must make sure the church is today what it was
in the first century. We are told in scripture to watch and live as if
Jesus' return is upon us now, but we must plan for the existence of the Lord's church beyond. If
the church is to be tomorrow what it was in the first century, then it must be
the church of tomorrow, today.
Revelation 2:27
"and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the
potter are broken to shivers; as I also have received of my Father"
Here is another example of old testament language helping to shed light
on the meaning of something in Revelation: "Ask of me, and I will
give (thee) the nations for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts
of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod
of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel"
(Psalms 2:8-9). Jesus is drawing on the imagery of familiar
language in the minds of the Christians to paint the picture of what he
means while leaving those outside Christianity in the dark. This
is a continuation of the thought introduced in verse 26.
Just as Christ received victory over the enemy
by the Father, even so, shall Christians who overcome have victory over their
enemies through Jesus Christ. They will destroy their enemies with
rods of iron and dash them to pieces like a shattered piece of pottery.
And this is accomplished with the only weapons available to the
Christian. "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war
according to the flesh (for the weapons of our warfare are not of
the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds),"
(2 Corinthians 10:3-4).
Revelation 2:28
"And I will give him the morning star."
This is the reward for those who overcome and persevere to the end.
To those who have seen the last star shining at daybreak, this is what
signifies the coming of light on the earth and the end of darkness.
The literal morning star in the skies precedes the coming of the sun
just like the morning star of Revelation precedes the coming of the
brightest of all the stars. This is the light after dark
affliction. This is the light shining on a world lost in the
darkness of sin.
In Revelation 22:16, Jesus describes Himself as
the bright and morning star. How glorious it will be for those who
overcame in Thyatira and remained faithful till the end to be given the
morning star. The application for us today is no different.
We can receive the morning star just like they did by living like they
lived.
Revelation 2:29
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit saith to the churches."
The Spirit was speaking to the church at Thyatira through the
written words of the inspired apostle John. They were told to
"hear" what the Spirit said through this medium. The word "hear"
comes from the Greek word "akouo
(ak-oo'-o)"; which carries the meaning
of to "give audience to" or to "listen". They were
to heed what was being written by inspiration. The Holy Spirit did
not go to the individual churches or their members and reveal God's
message to them directly. God speaks to us today through His Son
(Hebrews 1:2) and this is accomplished through inspiration of the Holy
Spirit by the hands of inspired men. The
Holy Spirit does not operate in conversion separate and
apart from the word of God.
Today, we "hear" or "listen" to what
the Spirit said in the same way they did at Thyatira. Through the
inspired word of God, recorded for us in the holy scriptures.
We are commanded to be led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14). This is
accomplished today when let the word of God, revealed by inspiration
through scripture, be our authority and lead us in all things.
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