Bible Study - Revelation 1-3 Part 10

Today we look at the letter to the church at Thyatira, in Revelation 2:18-29. Thyatira was the smallest city of the seven to whom letters go in Revelation 2-3, but its church receives the longest letter for one main reason, as we will see. Thyatira was founded by Seleucus, a general with Alexander the Great, as a military outpost around 300 BC. It was 20 miles Southeast of Pergamum and by the time of this letter was known for its many trade guilds. We hear in Acts 16:14 that it was the hometown of Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth (who became a Christian in Philippi), and it was known for its purple dyeing and weaving.

This letter begins as the others do, addressed to the “angel” (the pastoral leader and messenger) of the church at Thyatira (Revelation 2:18). The letter was written down by John, but it is clearly “the words” of Jesus, “the Son of God.” This is the only time in Revelation that this title is given to Jesus, maybe since Psalm 2 is quoted later in this letter, right after the Lord says of the coming Savior, “You are My Son” and again identifies Him as “the Son” (Psalm 2:7,12).

The other words about Jesus in v.18 are part of the vision of Him that John saw in Revelation 1:14-15. The “flaming eyes” of Jesus picture that Jesus can, as He says in Revelation 2:23, “search minds and hearts of people.” The “feet of burnished bronze” suggest His strength and “authority” described 2:26-27.

Jesus begins His specific message to this church with a great compliment. His eyes of fire can see and know their “works” and that the faithful people there are growing in “love and faith and service and patient endurance” in times of trouble, and are even doing better in living out these gifts of God than before (Revelation 2:19). This is the opposite of what Jesus had said about the church in Ephesus, where they had abandoned “the love that they had at first,” and were called to repent (Revelation 2:4-5).

However, Jesus also has a very serious concern about the church at Thyatira. “I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols” (Revelation 2:20). This sounds similar to the situation in Pergamum with some who were following the teachings of Balaam and Balak and the Nicolaitans and having problems with idolatry and food offered to idols and sexual immorality (Revelation 2:14-15). This seems to be a bigger problem, though, in Thyatira, as the false prophetess is influencing a larger number of people of the church, as Jezebel, a non-Jew, in the Old Testament was married to King Ahab and led him and many of the Israelites far from God and into worship of Baal and other false deities and much immorality. (See references to this in 1 Kings 16:31-33, 18:4, and 2 Kings 9:22.)

The church has some responsibility, too, in “tolerating” what this woman, like Jezebel of old, was doing and her “seduction” of many people. She has had “time to repent, but refuses to do so” (2:21). Sexual immorality” and “adultery with her” and mention of her “sick-bed” and “her works” all tell how she is leading this immorality and rejection of God and His will. All involved with her need to repent or there will be “great tribulation” for them, as well as for her (2:21-22). Jesus even mentions “death” for her "children" in v. 23. This probably does not mean her literal children, but those following in this woman’s evil footsteps, and influencing still others in bad ways. They will be judged, too, unless there is repentance and return to the Lord.

There is also reference in v. 24 to “what some call the deep things of Satan.” Some think that some of what was going on was an early form of Gnosticism, also. Gnostics thought that only the spiritual is important and that the material, including our bodies, were unimportant and we could do whatever we wanted with them without any harm to our spirit. The word “gnosis” means “knowledge,” and some thought that the more knowledge the better, even knowledge of and participation in evil and the satanic and the totally immoral, that they believed would gain knowledge and understanding, and yet not hurt the soul and spirit. All this was totally wrong, according to Scripture, and the opposite of God’s will in Christ. The true knowledge was always in God and His Word.

Jesus then reminds all the churches (since the message of these letters applied to all churches and they were all to have ears to hear all He said) in v.23 that He is the One who "searches minds and hearts and will give to each according to his own works.” He knows all our thoughts and deeds, and we can hide nothing from Him. If we have only our own thoughts and words and deeds to offer to God, we are all in big trouble. This is said often in the Scriptures. Jeremiah 17:9-10 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? ‘I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give to every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.'”

These are important words for us and our churches in our own day, too. So many people think that things like sexual morality are not a big deal, and it does not matter much what we do. These Scriptures remind us that temptations to immorality can also lead us and others far away from listening to our Lord and trusting Him, too. We need to take these passages of Law and warning seriously and hear the call to repentance, when we are drifting from the Lord and His will.

God also says, though, through Ezekiel, prophesying about Christ and His saving work for us and the gift of baptism: “I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean of all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (Ezekiel 36:25-27). Forgiveness and new life are always possible with the Lord.

Jesus also recognizes that there are those in Thyatira who resist false prophetesses and false teachers and are trying to keep the faith in Christ and regularly repent and trust His forgiveness and promises. He says to them and to us, in verses 24-25: “I do not lay on you any other burden. Only hold fast what you have until I come.”

Jesus also gives His promises to those “conquerors” (and we have heard that that refers to those who keep trusting Christ Jesus and His saving, conquering work already done for us) who keep trying to follow Christ and His way to the end of our lives or the return of Christ, whichever comes first (2:26-28). Jesus then quotes from Psalm 2:7-9 - words that speak of Himself, the Christ, the Anointed One of God (Psalm 2:2) and His victory and authority over all things, as King of Kings. He is Savior and blesses all who take refuge in Him as Lord and Savior (Psalm 2:12). He also is One who can bring wrath, “a rod of iron,” upon those who reject Him, who are like “earthen pots that are broken.”

There is also an indication that somehow God’s people will participate in the final reign of Christ in eternal life, together with Him. We will have perfect peace with Him, after all the struggles of this life and the struggles of our churches. The authority is all Christ’s (Matthew 28:18), but we will enjoy His blessings, too. (See 2 Timothy 2:12, for example, and Romans 8:18.)

Finally, Jesus says that He will give the believers “the morning star” (Revelation 2:28). The Morning Star is Christ Himself. See the prophesy of Him in Numbers 24:17, the star that announced His coming in Matthew 2:1-12, and the clear words of Jesus in Revelation 22:18: “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the Root and the Descendant of David, the Bright Morning Star.”

If we have Christ Jesus, as He promises, we have everything we need, for this life and for eternal life. And the Apostle John said it so simply in another of His letters, “I write these things to you who believe in the Name of the Son of God (Jesus Christ), that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). May the Lord keep us in that blessed gift of faith always.