Jezebel in the Church: The Church of Thyatira

Rev 2:18-29

I. INTRODUCTION

The church of Thyatira, the fourth church addressed by Christ, receives the longest of all the letters. The church of Lydia might potentially have been started by a woman named Lydia, mentioned in Acts 16 and her family. She was a seller of purple cloth, one of the main trades of Thyatira which was a city known for its trades and it’s trading guilds.

A church making progress.

The Christians at Thyatira in contrast to those at Ephesus were making progress in their deeds; in their love, in their faith, in their service and in their perseverance. Their latter works were greater than their first.

Would Jesus say that we are a church making progress? What would Jesus say of our latter works? Of our love, our faith, our service, our committment, our perseverance? Are we making progress?

Ever heard the phrase ‘eyes in the back of his head’? We had a teacher at school who was like that - you couldn’t get away with anything. He’d be writing on the board and then just yell ‘GUM!’ He’d have spotted somone on the back row having a chewing gum somehow!

Well Jesus introduces himself to the church of Thyatira as the one with eyes like a flame of fire. The Lord Jesus Christ is observing His church - He sees everything. He misses nothing.

Nevertheless - and notwithstanding all the progress the church at Thyatira was making Jesus had seen something extremely concerning:

Revelation 2:20 ESV

20 But 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.

Who was this woman, Jezebel? Whoever she was, I don’t think her real name was Jezebel - this was someone who was operating and ministering in the same spirit as Jezebel of the Old Testament, the evil queen of Israel written about in 1st and 2nd Kings. Someone who had become very influential at the church in Thyatira and was leading Christians astray into immorality and idolatry.

This is the story of the church at Thyatira - a church that was running well, but a church that had come under the influence of the spirit of Jezebel. This is something that happened then in the early church, and it’s something that’s still happening today in the modern church. But there are many misconceptions about the spirit of Jezebel that I hope to put right today. Many women have been accused of having a ‘spirit of Jezebel’ when they have nothing of the sort.

But before we get into more depth about who and what this spirit of Jezebel is; it’s worth noting that you don’t get a Jezebel rising up in a church unless you also have an Ahab. The church at Thyatira wasn’t just a church struggling with a Jezebel, it was a church struggling with an Ahab.

II. AHAB IN THE CHURCH

Ahab was the 8th King of Israel and was known as one of the most wicked and Idolatrous kings of all.

1 Kings 16:33 ESV

33 And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.

But Ahab wasn’t wicked like a Hitler, or like a Stalin - Ahab was wicked moreso because of his passivity than his activity!

Ahab was the ultimate BETA MALE.

He chose for his wife the seductress Jezebel; a Baal worshipper from Sidon. And he spent his life following her lead instead of leading God’s people himself. He was supposed to be the leader of Israel but instead he let his wife lead for him; he was passive.

His name means LOVE. And the spirit of Ahab loves:

Comfort - Just wants an easy life. “Happy wife = happy life” Didn’t want to challenge Jezebel and cause conflict. Didn’t kill Ben Hadad when God gave him the chance, but made friends with him.

Popularity - Needs to be liked. Wanted all his prophets to prophesy good concerning him, couldn’t handle it when Micaiah spoke against him. Fragile Ego.

Posessions - He’s entitled. Desired Naboth’s vineyard and when he couldn’t have it he sulked until Jezebel got it for him.

The Spirit of Ahab hates:

Conflict - Ahab will do anything to avoid conflict. He’s a coward. He wants to leave difficult decisions to others. When he couldn’t get the vineyard from Naboth he left Jezebel to get it for him. He hated Elijah and called him ‘the troubler of Israel’ because Elijah boldly called him and Jezebel out. The Ahab spirit will always avoid conflict and will label those with an Elijah spirit as troublemakers, all the while they let Jezebel get away with what she wants.

Ahab is passive, Ahab is an enabler. Wherever you find an Ahab you’ll find a Jezebel. And the church at Thyatira had leaders who were operating in the spirit of Ahab - they were passive.

Revelation 2:20 NA28

20 ἀλλʼ ἔχω κατὰ σοῦ ὅτι ἀφεῖς τὴν γυναῖκα Ἰεζάβελ, ἡ λέγουσα ἑαυτὴν προφῆτιν καὶ διδάσκει καὶ πλανᾷ τοὺς ἐμοὺς δούλους πορνεῦσαι καὶ φαγεῖν εἰδωλόθυτα.

13.140 ἀφίημι; ἀπολείπω: to leave it to someone to do something, with the implication of distancing oneself from the event—‘to let, to allow, to leave it to.

The church is in the state it’s in today because we have had a whole generation of Ahab’s in leadership; men who have made friends with enemies of God. Men who have been too passive, too in love with popularity to stand up to Jezebel. They have allowed Jezebel full control, they have blamed the Elijah’s for the division and conflict in the church and have protected the spirit of Jezebel.

III. JEZEBEL IN THE CHURCH

Jesus says that the Jezebel at the church of Thyatira was a woman who ‘called herself a prophet.’ She was someone who claimed to speak on God’s behalf. She was teaching the congregation - she was a usurper of proper authority.

The spirit of Jezebel hates...

Authority. The only authority that Jezebel respects is her own. She will not permit anyone else to be in charge, even God. She’ll even claim to be the voice of God to get her own way.

Faithful worshippers - Jezebel killed God’s prophets and sent the rest into hiding. She shut down their Bible schools and sought to wipe out true worship in Israel. She will not tolerate Elijah’s, and she will try to destroy the influence of faithful ministers.

The truth - The truth to a Jezebel is whatever gets her what she wants. The spirit of Jezebel is a liar - she spread a false story about Naboth to get him killed so that Ahab could take his vineyard.

The Spirit of Jezebel loves...

To have control. She wanted to control the worship in Israel, she controlled her husband the king. She does this through seduction and manipulation.

To lead others in her ways - she isn’t content just to have her own preferances, everyone else has to have her preferences. All Israel had to worship her gods. And in Thyatira - many in the church followed her into immorality and idolatry.

To be spiritual - teaching the deep things of Satan - She claims to have deeper knowledge of God, deeper spiritual knowledge than what the local church is serving up. But Jesus calls these teachings ‘the deep things of Satan’.

The Spirit of Jezebel is power hungry - she flatters, she deceives, she corrupts, she controls and she persecutes. She is alive and well in the mainline denominations today. She flourishes wherever Ahab’s rule, she usurps true authority and takes control.

The church today needs Elijahs not more Ahab’s.

IV. CHRIST IN THE CHURCH

Christ is still the head of His Church.

Christ is the judge of his church - Eyes of flame - feet of burnished Bronze.

Christ’s mercy to Jezebel - he gives her time to repent, but she was unwilling. Christ’s amazing grace!

Just as Jezebel was thrown from a window in the OT, Jesus promises to throw her into a bed of sickness in the NT. Ultimately, false teachers don’t get away with it.

Jesus also promises that those who commit adultery with Jezebel will suffer; those that believed her teachings, those that aligned with her, those who enabled her will be thrown by Christ into tribulation unless they repent. We often think of those who believe false teachings or who get into immoral practices as victims - but Jesus says they are sinning and need to repent. False teaching leads to immorality and to suffering.

Christ will kill Jezebels children - Just as Jehu killed Jezebel’s sons, so too Jesus promised to kill all those who joined with Jezebel in teaching the deep things of Satan.

V. THE FAITHFUL IN THE CHURCH

Jesus addresses the faithful in the church of Thyatira who did not believe or give way to Jezebel’s teaching.

He encourages them to:

Hold fast

Overcome

Keep His deeds

To those who endure to the end He will give:

Authority over the nations/gentiles

A rod of iron to rule/Shepherd over them

The morning star (Himself - Light and hope of heaven)

VI. CONCLUSION