To the Angel of Thyatira

Introduction

John makes known the revelation of Jesus Christ to the Seven Churches of Asia.

The churches lay along a mail route in the Roman province of Asia Minor, the seat of which would have been Pergamum.

While the overall letter is to all seven churches, each congregation also receives an address designed to warn as well as assure.

All seven letters are intended for to assure and to warn all the other congregations too.

The churches faced doctrinal danger from a group called the Nicolaitans.

We will be reminded tonight why the doctrine had such great appeal.

Jesus compares their teachings to those of Balaam who taught the children of Israel to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication.

Tonight, our focus will be upon the importance of being clear about the identity of God/Jesus.

Knowing God impresses upon us the weight of complete commitment to Him.

Thyatira received the longest letter, but it is the place we know least about.

The whole area thrived in the wool and dyeing industries.

Work guilds were essential to employment and social standing.

Asia was the seat of the imperial cult, the one area in the early empire where it was legal to worship the emperor and his family as gods while they were still alive.

A Reminder of Jesus’ Deity and Our Accountability

John records what Jesus says to the “angel of the assembly.”

The description of the speaker matches Rev. 1:14-15.

Please note the Son of Man and the Son of God are similar titles (Rev. 2:13).

They assert his deity, and they are Messianic titles.

Wrestling with Jesus’ identity means reconciling ourselves to his right to judge us because He is God. Note Paul in Athens specifically Acts 17:31.

Our savior is our judge.

Beale’s suggestion “the local guild deity Apollo Tyrimnaeus and the divine emperor” were referred to as “sons of the god Zeus” provides a helpful contrast to Jesus as the Son of God.

We need to remember there is assurance in addition to asserting his right to judge found in the description of who he is.

This will be important in Rev. 2:27.

An Assurance He Knows Our Works

It is obvious the church had faced severe difficulties.

Rev. 2:19 reminds us of Paul’s opening of 1 Thessalonians.

Their works include:

Love

Faith

Service (the only time the word occurs in Revelation)

Endurance

Unlike Ephesus, this church’s last works exceed the former.

This suggests they are a maturing, spiritually prosperous church.

Knowing that true Creator impresses upon us the need for complete obedience.

Notice that despite his praise, Jesus has something against this congregation.

A Critique of Doctrinal and Cultural Compromise

Christ says the church at Thyatira allows the woman Jezebel.

Most understand “permit” here to refer to toleration.

It certainly implies they were not in the habit of stopping her.

She had some degree of free rein to influence those who belonged to Jesus.

The Jezebel reference makes us think back to the days of Elijah. Worshiping Baal alongside Jehovah is unacceptable even in the name of filling your stomach.

People often confuse how the God of the Bible differs from the gods of the ancient world. He does not say: obey me, and I’ll make sure you eat. He says obeying me is more important than eating food. Our greatest need is not finding our next meal. It is being right with our creator. (Jesus illustrates this in Lk. 12:13-21).

Writers in the ancient world philosophized about the gods, but the Bible presents God as having a correct teaching, insisting upon fidelity to His revelation.

Echoes of 1 Kings 16:30-31 and the days of Elijah (see 1 Kings 18).

This doctrine would enable work, social participation, yet we are reminded the true God differs from man’s gods.

It is presented as a deep knowledge of Satan. It is evil, not deep knowledge or spirituality.

We should not lose sight of his grace and longsuffering in permitting her the opportunity to repent.

She is a reminder for all the churches.

It is God who knows all (Ps. 7:9).

A Reminder to Hold On Until Jesus’ Triumphant Reign

In Rev. 2:25, Jesus calls upon those who remain uncompromised to “hold on.”

The church is assured that he will reign.

Psalm 2 is what we await.

We do not need a faux spirituality that would enable us to compromise with the world.

We need true devotion to the one to whom all the world is accountable.