Revelation 2: 18-29, 3: 1-13

Review of The first three churches:

Ephesus:

Problems:

False Apostles, and leaving their first love.

Promise: Given the right to eat from the tree of life.

Historical connection: Apostolic church. 33-100 AD

Smyrna:

Problems:

Poverty, because of their faith.

Promise: Not hurt by the second death, and given the victors crown.

Historic connection: Persecuted Church 100-313 AD.

Pergamum:

Problems:

Sexual immorality, and wickedness had gotten into the church.

Promise: Hidden manna and a new name.

Historic connection: State Church 313-580 AD

Revelation 2:18–23 “

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.

Notice that the things the church at Thyatiran has done are pretty impressive. Jesus even says that their deeds now, are even better than when they started.

So that would lead us to believe that they are growing in their Christian walk, right? But Jesus still has something they need to repent of.

20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. 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.”

Table Time:

What is Thyatira’s sin?

Put the map up.

Thyatira was the smallest of the seven cities. The modern city of Akhisar is there currently. There has been very little archaeological digging done because of the modern city that is there. The city was known for manufacturing like the dying of cloth.

Acts 16. talks about this when it speaks about Lydia.

Acts 16:14–15

“14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.

15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.”

Who is Jezebel?

Option one is that she is the Jezebel in the Bible.

1 Kings 16:31–32

“31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians,

and began to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria.”

Option 2 is that she is a real woman, who was adulterous and teaching others to do the same thing as a part of “Christian worship.”

The issue is that there is no written record of this time where any roman woman had the name Jezabel, and a Jewish person would not name their child Jezabel, that would be like a Christian naming their child Judas.

Now however if you remember the.

Historic Prophetic Interpretation

than this it would make sense that this is a reference to Jezebel in Kings.

Church History Time Periods:

33-100 AD: Apostolic Church

100-313 AD: Persecuted Church

313-590 AD: State Church

590-1517 AD: Papal Church

1517-1730 AD: Reformed Church

1730-1900 AD: Missionary Church

1900 AD-Present: Apostate Church

The Church at Thyatria lines up with the Papal Church.

Talk through what Jezebels sins were. Then compare that to how Roman Catholicism got off track.

The 7 Sacraments of the Catholic Church.

1) Baptism

2) Confirmation

3) Eucharist

4) Penance

5) Anointing of the sick

6) Holy Orders

7) Matrimony

Its interesting because the name Thyatria could mean two different things. The first is “the castle of Thya”

But the name also comes from two Greek words that mean “perpetual sacrifice.”

Talk through how this coincides with Catholic Sacramental Theology.

Revelation 2:24–29

“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,

Can you imagine how hard it must have been for them at this time? Jesus is like, I’m going to give you a break!

25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.’ 26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—

27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father.

What does this mean?

One opinion is that it is a reference to the Millennial reign of Jesus. And that Jesus is pulling from several different Old Testament Passage to show his Authority as the Messiah.

Psalm 2:9 “9 You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.””

Isaiah 30:14 “14 It will break in pieces like pottery, shattered so mercilessly that among its pieces not a fragment will be found for taking coals from a hearth or scooping water out of a cistern.””

Jeremiah 19:11 “11 and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I will smash this nation and this city just as this potter’s jar is smashed and cannot be repaired. They will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room.”

Revelation 2:28-29.

28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

The Bring Morning Star is a reference to Jesus all throughout Scripture.

Revelation 3:1

“1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.”

Of the churches addressed in the cities of Asia Minor, no city was as legendary as Sardis.

Located in the middle of the Hermus River (or Gediz) basin, a large fertile plain broken by minor hill ranges, the citadel of the ancient city of Sardis occupied a long ridge on Mount Tmolus (modern Bozdağ), which rose about 1,500 feet above the area below.

The acropolis was clearly the most significant feature when viewed from almost anywhere on the plain below.

The approach to the acropolis was sheer at any point except across the saddle of Mount Tmolus, which was also steep and difficult.

Because of this, Sardis was considered to be almost impregnable for opposing armies.

But twice in through history Sardis was seized because the people had no one standing guard.

Sardis engaged heavily in the worship of Cybele, who was said to be able to restore the dead to life.

So if you remember from our second week, we learned that 7 is the number of perfection in Jewish writing. And the Seven Spirits most likely means the Holy Spirit.

The Seven Stars are the 7 Angels or Messengers to the churches.

What is Sardis’ problem?

They had the reputation of being alive but they were dead. They were lazy!

Talk through this comparing to Jesus being the first born of the dead, and the worship of Cybele.

Revelation 3:2–3

“2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent...

Notice the connection to falling asleep on guard duty. The city being invaded twice. They are challenged to remember how strong they were, not only as a city, but with their faith.

...But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.”

Ok, we are going to work through a couple things here.

1 Thessalonians 5:1–3.

“1 Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

Connection to Jesus teachings:

Matthew 10:34–36

“34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

35 For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—

36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’”

1 Thessalonians 5: 4-5.

4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.

Connection to Jesus teachings:

John 3:19–21

“19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.

21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.

8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.”

Connection to Jesus teachings:

Matthew 24:1–4

“1 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings.

2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.”

Revelation 3:4

“4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.”

Possible meanings:

Reference to sin.

Reference to the clothing industry in Sardis.

Reference to the fact that everyone can see if your clothes are dirty.

Revelation 3:5–6

“5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.

6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Table Time:

What is Sardis’ reward?