Revelation 2:18-29

Revelation 2:18-29 Θυάτειρα Outline: I. SALUTATION AND NAME OF CHURCH IDENTIFIED, Verse 18 II. IDENTIFICATION OF CHRIST AS SENDER, Verse 18 III. ASSERTION OF KNOWLEDGE, Verse 19 IV. COMMENT AND CONCERN, Verses 20-23 V. EXHORTATION, Verses 24-25 VI. PROMISED BLESSING, Verse 26-28 VII. ADMONITION TO HEED, Verse 29 ∞≻≺∞ I. SALUTATION AND NAME OF CHURCH IDENTIFIED, Verse 18 A. “And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write…” 1. Angel is aggelos. It simply means messenger. This could be referring to the pastor of the church or perhaps an actual angel that was assigned to watch over the church. Either way the important thing is that this messenger represents the whole church and therefore this letter was to all the saints within that church and even to us today. 2. Church is ekklēsia and in a christian sense this word means an assembly of Christians of any size gathered for worship in a religious meeting. It is a word to speak of the called out ones. And that is exactly what the christian is. He or she is a called out one. Called out from this world and the sinful system that rages within it and into glorious freedom from sin and a living vital relationship with Jesus who purchased them with His very life's blood. a) The worlds view of what church is or means is typically a building where God dwells and where people can come once a week to get in touch with Him. But the scripture does not paint a picture of church in that way at all. The scripture tells us that God dwells within every believer and that His people are indeed the very temple of the Holy Spirit. If anything the scriptures indicate that it is the people that bring the Lord to the church building and then in corporate worship He is glorified. 1 b) The Scriptures also mention churches that were in homes and not in great big cathedrals (Romans 16:5). Not that there is anything wrong with a large building full of christians where they worship the Lord but there does not need to be a big building and many people in order for it to be a legitimate church. The universal Church of Christ is made up of the body of believers around the world and the local assemblies we might attend are but smaller expressions of the larger whole. SIze has nothing to do with it. Big or small if there is a gathering together of “called out ones” to a common location then it is a church meeting. This is the meaning of the word ekklēsia B. Thyatira 1. This was the smallest and politically the least import of the seven cities that Jesus addresses. 2. However there was much trade and business that was conducted through this city. 3. There were many different trade guilds and a) these trade guilds were so important that if you possessed a trade you also had to be a member of the appropriate trade guild. We would call these today a union. b) Each of the trade guilds had their own patron pagan deity. 2 4. One valuable very commodity that Thyatira produced was dye for cloth and dyed cloth. a) In Acts 16:14-15 we read of a women who lived in Philippi and was converted under the ministry of Paul who was a seller of purple and she was from Thyatira. b) The die was very costly and usually only the rich could afford to wear and buy this dye or the already dyed cloth. c) The word 'purple' comes from the Old English word purpul which originates from the Latin purpura. This in turn is derived from the Koine Greek πορφύρα (porphyra), name of the dye manufactured in Classical antiquity from the mucus-secretion of the hypo-branchial gland of a marine snail known as the Murex brandaris or the spiny dye-murex. d) Perhaps Lydia was a key reason why this church began. II. IDENTIFICATION OF CHRIST AS SENDER, Verse 18 A. “…These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;” 1. “…Son of God,…” This title emphasizes the Lordʼs deity. This is the only time in the whole book of revelation that this phrase occurs. Jesus picks this title and uses it for himself when talking to this church to remind those within it who were playing around with idolatry that He and He alone is the one and only deity that exists and that He and He alone is worthy of their worship and adoration. 2. “…Eyes like unto a flame of fire,…” This is a simile which speaks of the Lords all seeing and purifying gaze. His gaze is penetrating and in this case it is with judgment as well. 3. “…His feet [are] like fine brass;…” Here is another simile. The feet speak of a walk and the brass speaks of judgment. a) The word or phrase “fine brass” in the greek is chalkolibanon. “This word, found only here in the Bible, has puzzled scholars. It seems to represent an alloy of precious metal such as gold, silver, brass, or copper. Itʼs exact character is not known, but there is general agreement…that ʻit is the name of mixed metal of great brilliance.ʼ The point …is in reference not to its quality as metal, but to its brilliant appearance enhancing the revelation of Christ as a glorious judge.”1 1 John F. Walvoord, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, pg. 72 3 III. ASSERTION OF KNOWLEDGE, Verse 19 A. “I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.” 1. Their works were known by the Lord and these included love, service faith and patience. 2. In many ways this church was a model church. The greatest quality that they possessed was love. Love for the Lord and His people. This was a quality, as we saw, that was dwindling in Ephesus. 3. And these positive things that our Lord mentions were growing each and every day. He says that their last works are greater than their first. So were Ephesus had to return to their first works Thyatira simply continued and grew in their first works and this was note worthy to and commended by our Lord. IV. COMMENT AND CONCERN, Verses 20-23 A. “Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.” 1. Who was Jezebel? a) Daughter of EthBaal, king of Sidon, Priest of Astarte, the murderer of his predecessor, Pheles, whom he killed to seize the throne.2 1 kings 16:31 b) She was married to king Ahab for trade reasons between Israel and Phoenicia. 1 kings 16:31 c) She brought into Israel Pagan worship and she and her husband ushered in the worst time for Israel recorded in the old testament. d) “She was one of the most evil characters of the old testament, who attempted to combine the worship of Israel with the worship of the idol Baal. She did what she could to stamp out all true worship and influenced her weak husband to the extent that it is recorded in 1 Kings 16:33, ʻAnd Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.ʼ ” 3 e) She was responsible for killing Naboth to steal his vineyard that her husband wanted. (1 Kings 21:1-16) f) She sought to kill many of the prophets of the Lord including Elijah. (1 Kings 19:2) 2 Chuck Missler, Commentary on Revelation 3 John F. Walvoord, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, pg. 74 4 g) “So evil was jezebelʼs character that she is singled out by Elijah for a special prophecy that she would be eaten by dogs-a prophecy fulfilled in 2 Kings 9:33-35. She is therefore the epitome of subtle corruption and a symbol of immorality and idolatry.”4 2. “…which calleth herself a prophetess…” a) She was not truly a prophetess. She was a false prophetess. Matthew 7:15-20, 24:11 3. “… to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols…” a) These were the sins that this women lead Godʼs people into. She was an immoral and ungodly influence on this church. b) “Because of the strong trade guilds in Thyatira, the sexual immorality and the eating of things sacrificed to idols was probably connected with the mandatory social occasions of the guilds. Perhaps a Christian was invited to the monthly meeting of the goldsmithʼs guild, and the meeting was held at the temple of Apollo. “Jezebel” would allow or encourage the man to go perhaps even using a “prophetic” word - and when the man went, he would fall into immorality and idolatry.” 5 c) B. “And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.” 1. Space is chronos in greek and means time. God shows his mercy even to the vilest sinner. But This time or space to repent will not last forever, and so we also see God living up to his holy standards by judging those that donʼt repent! C. “Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.” 1. The bed that she put out before her victims to lure them into this adultery would become a sick bed into which she will be cast by our Lord. 2. The bed that she loved so much and the bed that allured and destroyed so many would become a place of woe and loathing. God would turn her ways back upon herself and upon those that committed adultery with her. V. EXHORTATION, Verses 24-25 A. “But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But that which ye have [already] hold fast till I come. VI. PROMISED BLESSING, Verse 26-28 4 Ibid 5http://www.blueletterbible.org/commentaries/comm_view.cfm?AuthorID=2&contentID=8104&commInfo=31&topic=Revelation 5 A. “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star.” 1. VII. ADMONITION TO HEED, Verse 29 A. “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” 6