Thought of the Day: Believing God is harder when you're ashamed of what you did last night.

Read 2:18

Thyatira; a city of artisan guilds. Cloth goods, dyes, and metal smiths.

Son of God; blasphemous to the Jews

eyes as an illuminating agent, seeing into the dark

feet like burnished (polished) bronze (hinting at Rev 1, Jesus is the one who sits on the throne)

Read 2:19

Much of the church is great. Not only do they love one another in deed, they also are firm in their faith and serve Christ with perseverance. And they are growing. Being sanctified in all of these aspects.

Read 2:20-21

Jezebel was most likely not actually named Jezebel. That would be like naming your daughter a derogatory sexual slur.

The church is allowing her, tolerating her, to call herself a prophet.

She is teaching Christ’s “servants” actually “slaves” as in “ones that belong to Him” that they can indulge in sexual immorality and eating foods sacrificed to idols.

much of the artisan guilds in the area would have deep connection with pagan religions and it would have been ostracizing to refuse to participate. Maybe lose your business, your livelihood.

Read 2:22-23

The ones sinning with Jezebel are called “owned by Christ, slaves” but Jezebel is never referred to that way. She seems to be completely unregenerate.

Christ will make her suffer with disease, and those “slaves” of his that are sinning with her.

“unless they repent of her ways” not “their ways” the root of the sin is ascribed to her

“I will kill her children”

2 options

1.“Children” are spiritual children. Christ says I will kill those in the church who are following her. He doesn’t say he will kill Jezebel though, I don’t know how that would make her suffer.

* Another problem with this interpretation; The ones who belong to Christ are also those who are called “children of Jezebel.” Who have submitted themselves to sexual sins and idol worship. V26 says, “and does my will to the end” either those who belong to Christ lose their inheritance of eternal life or they lose rewards (Every other letter talks about eternal life, this would be the only one of the 7 that is rewards)

this interpretation is much more complicated and is doing everything possible to get away from the plain reading of the text.

2. “Children” are her actual children. As punishment for her false teaching Christ is going to kill her children.

This, like the letter to Pergamum, is referencing an Old Testament story. 1 Kings 16:34 God kills Ahab and Jezebel’s actual children because of their disobedience. 2 Kings 9:30-33 Jezebel is “thrown” from the window, Jesus is going to “cast/throw” her on a bed of suffering.

God killed an entire family in the book of Joshua because of the sin of one man.

If her children are old enough to be judged for their sin they deserve to die.

Read John 3:16-21

Evil deeds put up barriers and make it more difficult to believe. That’s why Satan tries to get us to do evil, because he knows it brings shame, we hide from God, get further from Him and become inefficient or at worst prove our faith false.

Read 2:23

Jesus doesn’t just judge the world. He judges the body. Even if we belong to Christ, if we are sinning against Him, He will discipline us to put us back on the right path.

Read 2:24-25

Pretty simple; keep growing

Read 2:26-29

This is basically repeating the same line 3 times

authority over the nation

rule with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery (prophesy of kingdom authority)

The morning star (symbol of kingdom authority in the Roman world)

Conclusion:

We grow in deed so that we grow in belief. It’s a cycle, one fuels the next. The opposite is also true. Sin fuels unbelief and unbelief fuels sin. How do we fight our sin? By being more intimate with Christ. It’s not willpower, stop trying to do it. When desire starts and begins to birth sin run to the scripture. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you the scripture and get closer to Christ. That will lead to defeating the temptation, which fuels more belief. When you do sin, put it to the light, confess it to a brother or sister. As long as it remains in the dark Satan will use it to make you ashamed and convince you to hide from God.