The Corrupt Church
Notes
Transcript
The Destination
The Destination
18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write…
The fourth letter written is addressed to the church in Thyatira. As with some of the other churches we have looked at so far, all of what we know from Scripture concerning this church is found right here in Revelation. The city of Thyatira is mentioned only once elsewhere in Scripture:
14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.
From Pergamum, northernmost of the seven cities, the Roman road curved east and then southeast to Thyatira, approximately forty miles away. Thyatira was located in a long north-south valley connecting the valleys of the Caicus and Hermus rivers. Unlike Smyrna or Pergamum, Thyatira was built in relatively flat country and lacked an acropolis. Its lack of natural fortifications would play a significant role in its history.
Thyatira was founded by one of Alexander the Great’s successors, Seleucus, as a military outpost guarding the north-south road. It later changed hands, and came under the rule of Lysimachus, who ruled Pergamum. Thyatira was the gateway to Pergamum, and the task of the defenders at Thyatira was to delay an attacker and thus buy time for Pergamum. Unfortunately, since Thyatira had no natural defenses, the garrison there could not hope to hold out for long. Thus, the city was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt; the scanty references to it in ancient literature usually describe its conquest by an invading army.
Finally, about 190 B.C., Thyatira was conquered and annexed by the Romans and enjoyed the Roman peace. The city then became a flourishing commercial center. Its location on the main north-south road, formerly a liability, now became an asset. That road became even more important in Roman times, as it connected Pergamum with Laodicea, Smyrna, and the interior regions of the province of Asia. It also served as the Roman post road. At the time the book of Revelation was written, Thyatira was just entering its period of greatest prosperity.
Thyatira was noted for its numerous guilds (roughly the equivalent of today’s labor unions). Thyatira’s main industry was the production of wool and dyed goods (especially purple goods, dyed with purple dye extracted from the madder root), but inscriptions also mention guilds for linen workers, makers of outer garments, dyers, leather workers, tanners, potters, bakers, slave dealers, and bronze smiths (William Ramsay, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia (Albany, Oreg.: AGES Software; reprint of the 1904 edition], 260). Lydia probably represented her guild in Philippi (
The Description
The Description
18 “… ‘These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass:
The description that Jesus uses of Himself here is one of judgment. This church has drifted deep into sinful practices, so Jesus makes it clear that they understand their sin will not be tolerated. Rather, it will be judged by He who has all power in Heaven and Earth: the Son of God.
This title places Jesus at the head of all things, especially the church. It emphasizes His deity.
When describing Himself to John in Chapter 1, He used a different title: Son of Man (Rev. 1:13). But here in this letter, He refers to Himself as the Son of God. This is the only time this title is used throughout all of Revelation. To the faithful brethren like John, and even to the acknowledging sinner, Jesus presents Himself with the utmost amount of humbleness, but to the unrepentant sinner, Jesus presents Himself as the ultimate judge of all things.
As discussed in Chapter 1, both of these other descriptions follow this same direction of thought. Fire more often than not represents judgment in the Scriptures, so having eyes like a flame of fire speaks to the fact that He sees all, and that no evil deed will go unpunished (Job 34:21; Matthew 12:36).
The last description speaks of His feet being like fine brass (burnished bronze). This is descriptive of Revelation 19:15:
15 … He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
In other words, His feet shone brightly in righteousness as He stomps out the impurities of the wicked.
The Discernment
The Discernment
19 “I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first.
Jesus states that He sees the good that they have accomplished: I know your works. He breaks these works down into four categories: love, service, faith, and patience.
Thyatira is the only church out of all seven who are commended for their love of God. The heart of this church was truly something special. They loved God, and their works showed that.
The way we show our love for an individual is by meeting their needs. Service is an outpouring of love, so naturally they are commended for their service, for they had a great love for God and for His people.
They also operated in faith. Though they were faced with many things, the core of the church had remained faithful. God could count on them, depend on them.
Faithfulness produces perseverance (patience). During the most difficult of times and situations, the core of this church was rock solid.
And most importantly, He commends them for their growth in Him. The last of their works are more than the first. They had grown in their love, service, faithfulness, and perseverance over time. They were getting closer to God, instead of farther away, and their works showed that.
This should be a staple characteristic of all churches. Over time, we should be known for our growth towards God. We should be growing in our love for God and for others, growing in our service towards others, growing in our faithfulness towards God, and growing in our perseverance with God.
The Dilemma
The Dilemma
20 Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you 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.
21 And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.
22 Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds.
23 I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.
Despite how loving and faithful the core of this church was, the all-seeing gaze of Christ upon His church witnessed some things He did not like. Therefore, He warns them by stating, “Nevertheless I have a few things against you.”
It needs to be noted that the pronoun “you” in this phrase is singular. This seems to indicate that this indictment is served specifically against the leader of the congregation.
The importance of understanding one’s call into the ministry cannot be overemphasized. Though God has called us all to serve in ministry, to one degree or another, those who are called into leadership bear a much heavier weight. They are responsible for those of whom God places under their leadership. Leaders have to lead. They have to make tough decisions. That is why the most important thing a leader can do is remain faithful to God in all things, for leaders will give account for how they have led those underneath them.
The leader of this church had made a grave mistake. His mistake seems to be twofold.
First, he had allowed this Jezebel to teach in the church. Now it is doubtful that this is actually her name. It is more likely that Jesus refers to her by this name because of the Jezebel we all know as King Ahab’s wife in the Old Testament (1 Kings 16:30-31). King Ahab needed no help in the evil department, but this woman was truly pure evil. She lied, schemed, and murdered to get whatever she wanted. She had no regard for truth or righteousness.
Jesus refers to the lady teaching in the church at Thyatira by this name because He sees her the same way. She has made a self-proclaimed statement of being a prophetess, but yet Jesus makes it clear that this is not the case. She has exalted herself to a position of leadership without the calling or approval of God. Jesus is frustrated with the leader of this congregation because he has allowed this woman, who has no business teaching others, to be a teacher amongst his people. Every person considered for a teaching role within the church should be vetted thoroughly and this obviously did not take place here.
Secondly, not only had the leader allowed her to become a prominent teacher within the church without proper vetting, but once she began to teach things contrary to the Word of God, he allowed her to remain as a teacher. This is absolutely unacceptable. This woman was teaching false doctrine which ultimately led God’s people astray and the leader of this congregation had done nothing to prevent or stop this from happening. As a result, many were led to believe that sexual immorality and eating things sacrificed to idols were acceptable practices within the church.
Jesus makes it clear that He gave her time to repent of her sin, but she did not. She had become quite popular amongst the people and she cared more about maintaining her status with them than she did about her status with God. Jesus makes no bones about the fact that He is not happy about this. Matter of fact, He continues on by saying that judgment has already been determined concerning her: I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation… I will kill her children with death.”
Jesus makes it very clear that this woman’s time has come to an end, and all of those who choose to continue to sin alongside her will suffer alongside her as well.
This woman’s chance to repent had come and gone, but Jesus tells this leader to step up and take control of the situation, warning those who have given in to her teaching that they can still be spared if they repent of their deeds. There is still hope to salvage this situation, at least to some degree.
Judgment will be passed upon all of those unrepentant sinners who continue in unrighteousness so that all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. Jesus will judge each one… according to their own works.
The Demand
The Demand
24 “Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden.
25 But hold fast what you have till I come.
24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden.
Now Jesus addresses the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine. This seems to be the same ones of whom Jesus gave His commendation to earlier in the letter. It was the core of the church who had operated in love, service, faith, and perseverance. It was those who had not known the depths of Satan.
In the last letter to the church at Pergamos, it was said that they dwelt where Satan’s throne was (Rev. 2:13). Here it is said that the sinfulness of this church had gotten so corrupt that they had ventured into the depths of Satan’s ways. It seems as if this sinful doctrine had permeated almost the whole church, but there were a few who had remained faithful. To those faithful few, Jesus promises, “I will put on you no other burden.” It seems as if the burden of having to live alongside hypocritical believers, apostate believers, and pretend believers all at the same time was burden enough. Jesus said that He would add no other burden to their plate, but He did command them to hold fast what they had until He came.
In other words, He warned them not to fall into the same false doctrine and unrighteous behavior as the rest, lest they share the same suffering. Their faithfulness to God had outweighed their desire to fit in up to this point. If that continued, they would share in the promise that comes next.
The Declaration
The Declaration
26 And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—
27 ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’— as I also have received from My Father;
28 and I will give him the morning star.
29 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’
To those who overcomes and keeps Christ’s works until the end, He promises participation in the millennial kingdom. This promise has its roots in Psalm 2:
7 “I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.
8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”
Those who overcome the outstanding odds against them will rule with Christ for 1,000 years in His earthly kingdom. Those nations who rebel against Christ during that time will be destroyed, and Jesus promises those who remained faithful unto the end will join with Him in accomplishing this.
The morning star that is promised unto them is Christ Himself.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”
19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;
His promise is that their reward will be to know and experience the fullness of His glory. The One for whom they suffered so much will be seen face to face. As mentioned earlier in the letter, Jesus sees all things, including the fullness of who we are, but in eternity those who have remained faithful unto the end will then see Him fully and know Him as we are known:
12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
