Thyatira: The Tolerant Church

Introduction

I recently read in a book the following, “It would be unsavory to describe how far the worship of indecency was carried; how public morals were corrupted by the mimic representations of everything that was vile, and even by the pandering of a corrupt art... The social relations exhibited, if possible, even deeper corruption. The sanctity of marriage had ceased. Female dissipation and the general dissoluteness led at least to an almost entire cessation of marriage. Abortion and the exposure of newly-born children, were common and tolerated; unnatural vices, which even the greatest philosophers practiced, if not advocated, attained proportions which defy description.”

This described the Roman world shortly before the fall of Rome, but perhaps you are like me and can see that this aptly describes the climate in America today. What happens when you love the world more than God? When we become tolerant of sin and immorality. We become known to Christ Jesus as a place of the “deep things of Satan.” When the Church becomes more tolerant of the world and less tolerant of God’s holiness, we’re in trouble. Thus was the case in Asia Minor.

We come to the fourth church in Revelation: Thyatira. It should be understood that Thyatira is a pivotal letter in the 7 churches. There is a progression that you should be seeing in these churches that compromise. We start with Ephesus, a church that was testing teachers, keeping doctrinally pure, but lost its love for Jesus. When you loose your love for Jesus, you begin to love the world. If you love Jesus, you will not love the world. From there we saw Smyrna. Holding fast and enduring great suffering for the sake of the Lord. No compromise there. Next we find Pergamum. Even though they’re dwelling in Satan’s throne, they’re holding fast to the faith, but they are compromised in their morals. Now we come to Thyatira, and we see the result of what happens with continued compromise. If Pergamum is flirting with idolatry, Thyatira is an adulterous. All the way onto Laodicea. Compromise with the world leads to tolerance of sin and Jesus has called his Church to be a holy and pure institution, intolerant of sin. The same is true for your life. When you love the Lord less, you begin to love the world more and it infiltrates your life.

English Standard Version Chapter 2

18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

19 “ ‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 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. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. 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. 25 Only hold fast what you have until I come. 26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority 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.’

The City of Thyatira

The City of Thyatira was the smallest of the cities who received messages from Jesus but the letter from Jesus to the Church of Thyatira is the longest. Little is know about Thyatira. Even though it was not a great city, it was important because of it’s commerce in wool, linen, apparel, dyes, leatherwork, tanning and excellent bronze work. A fabric dye was developed there mixing a root and a small shell fish that created a purple dye. It was highly sought after. The most famous early Christian of Thyatira was Lydia, a seller of purple fabric converted to Christ during Paul’s ministry in Philippi (Acts 16). She was the first Christian convert in Europe.

The Religiously the city was unimportant, although the worship of Apollo and Artemis (Diana) was prominent. But it more strategic as a military outpost around 421 miles from the Aegean Sea. It is now the location of the modern city Akhisar, which means "white castle" after some of the artifacts that were found there.

Jesus brings his salutation:  “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze. If you go back to Chapter 1 we see this description again, as we do in all the church. His eyes aflame see everything. You may fool alot of people, including yourself, but you are not fooling God. God sees us as we are and he sees the depths of our heart; the hidden things of our lives do not escape his gaze. That includes our church and how we operate, teach, and tolerate.

His feet are likened to burnished bronze; an image of judgement. 1 Peter 4:17 “For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God.” That’s not a bad thing. We want Christ to purify us. As we grow in our holiness, our righteousness becomes an encouragement to others and to the world, but when we compromise, our testimony is weakened and our lampstand removed by God. This was the case in Thyatira to the point where Jesus says they are dealing with the deep things of Satan. What was all that? Let’s look.

Jesus’ Commendation to Thyatira

I imagine that Thyatira was like any other church. For the most part, full of good, well-meaning people. In fact, Jesus tells them that they are a group of loving people who are doing more and more good works. “ ‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.” They are known to Jesus because of the love in their faith and service. There is loyalty and meeting the needs of people. There are many churches like this today. They’re active in the community, some are actually activists for the needy and outcast. These are all great things and important things. I don’t want you to miss the point here and throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Faith wasn’t their problem. Ministry wasn’t their problem. Endurance wasn’t their problem. Their problem was they were tolerating sin. They were an active, flourishing, busy, growing church, but they were in danger, severe danger, and that danger came from sin. We would all understand this, wouldn’t we?

Jesus’ Correction to Thyatira

English Standard Version Chapter 2

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. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.

The first thing Jesus says is that all their growth in love and faith was being overshadowed by the success of a false teacher named Jezebel. My guess is that this is not the actual name. No one names their daughter Jezebel. This is a reference to Old Testament 1Kings 16-21 and 2 Kings 9. Jezebel was King Ahab’s wife. She was the daughter of the pagan priest Ethbaal, a worshiper of Baal. She lead Israel away and When Ahab brought Jezebel to Israel she brought her religion with her. Jezebel built a temple to Baal promoted their worship. She led Israel into Baal worship and turned their hearts from God. Through her idolatry and immorality.

Whoever this woman was, she called herself a “prophetess” which means she claimed to speak for God. In doing so, she taught the church to compromise in areas of holiness and sin. When sin entered the church, they didn’t deal with it. They tolerated it. The message was, we’re all sinners and there is nothing we can do about it, so let sin abound because God’s grace will about.

The other characteristic of her teaching is the unwillingness to repent. Did you catch that? The central issue of her false teaching is in sexual immorality; as it usually is in the world. There was a willingness to compromise in sexual purity: adultery, homosexuality, licentiousness. You name it.

It sounds like there were elements of dualism or antinominalism. I agree with Chuck Swindoll that this is like Gnosticism. The idea is that there is a secret, higher knowledge that one can attain with higher enlightenment. You don’t have to worry about the flesh, because the flesh will one day pass away. You can’t do anything about your flesh, so enjoy yourself and focus on the higher secrets of knowledge. It’s still around today. Prosperity preachers love to use this, people like Todd White, Benny Hinn, Joel Osteen, Kenneth Hagin, and Oprah Winfrey all rally around this idea.

It’s later referred to as Satanic teaching. The deeper things of Satan (v. 24). It takes us right back to the garden,

English Standard Version Chapter 3

3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

What do you see there? Temptation. Higher enlightenment. Be like God. Something tantalizing the appetite, sexuality explicitness. All coming from Satan. It is satanic and it is leading believers astray. We justify it because we’re doing good things, the church is growing, we’re going on mission trips, we’re having Jesus time. But it isn’t fooling Jesus. The unwillingness to repent is characteristic of these churches.

Revelation The Lord Who Despises Sin

Christians who have joined in with the sexual sin of our culture have evidently forgotten that Jesus is a holy Lord who hates all sin, and especially sexual sin. The Bible commands the Christian to “know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God” (1 Thess. 4:4–5).

English Standard Version Chapter 2

22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.

The result is that we find a place of spiritual infection. The term “sickbed” literally means pestilence. Not only to her but to those who had wholly committed themselves to Jezebel’s doctrines. She had become their spiritual mother, and they would face the same severe consequences, unless they to repented.

James 4:4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

The second law of thermodynamics says that something will degenerate if there is no outside force to spawn towards a constructive direction. Unless you and I allow God to intervene, we will devolve towards the standards around us rather that go against the flow. Throughout the New Testament we are urged to remain faithful to the simple truths and moral standards of the gospel. There is no need to look for something deeper.

Jesus’ Command to the Church

English Standard Version Chapter 2

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. 25 Only hold fast what you have until I come.

Jesus’s command is a bit more encouraging to those who have not been swayed by this false teaching. “Hold Fast.” Which is also my command to you also. “Hold Fast.” I know things are difficult. I know there are temptations everywhere. I know our culture is constantly tempting us to compromise. Thyatira stands a model, a constant reminder of what a permissive church with a liberal theology looks like today, a church full of believers who engage in compromise almost in lock step with the world in order to fulfill their own personal desires.

We want to be liked and we want the world to like us. We want to be cool and we think that if we can just be cool enough for the world to like us than we’ll win the world. The problem is when we become tolerant of sin, we become intolerant of Jesus and his righteousness.

The world needs a church that is first in love with Jesus. “Do not love the world or the things in the world.” (1 John 2:15).

John 17:14-16 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.

John 15:19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

Hold Fast

Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus’ Commitment to the Church

English Standard Version Chapter 2

26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority 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.’

Overcomers Hold Fast! Why hold fast? It is a place of waiting with strength in Christ. The evidence of true faith in Christ is endurance. We will be with Christ in the Kingdom of Heaven. Over all nations. Is there a perfect place (nation) here on earth to live? No. Even in what is known as the greatest land, the United States, we are filled (especially in our government) with corruption, immorality, and injustice. The government isn’t our moral compass. Hollywood isn’t our moral compass. They are running in the polar opposite of God. Our world is a mess. Where is our hope?

“When [Jesus] comes to rule – that word “to rule” in verse 27 is, interesting enough, from poimain, which means to shepherd, to pastor. It’s not a rule that is all judgment, it’s also shepherding.It’s combining the rod of iron with the role of the shepherd. The rod of iron is to beat off the attackers, and the shepherd is to care for the sheep. “If you’re faithful – ” He says, “ – I will share My authority with you.” Those of us who are glorified believers in the kingdom, when Christ sets it up on earth, will assist Him in judgment and the care of His own.” (McArthur).

I’ll close with this: Jesus promises to give us “the morning star.” What is that? It is Jesus himself. in Revelation 22:16: “I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” Jesus is promising to give himself, the Light who shines brightly to cast away all darkness, as the most precious gift to his faithful people. Even in this life, Christians are empowered by Christ to “shine as lights in the world,” as “children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, … holding fast to the word of life” (Phil. 2:15–16).

Does the injustice of this world bother you? Be a bright star of Jesus. Even in this pagan, hostile world, you have a purpose in Christ. You are marked by your love for Jesus. To be fiery, passionate, and zealous for him. Above all things we do not compromise for sin. We’re separated from the world’s sinfulness so we can shine our light into it. Let’s do that.

Take it to the Cross

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