Podcast: Download (36.1MB)
When Tolerance Is Intolerable
Revelation 2:18-29 To the Church in Thyatira
Introduction: Thyatira is only mentioned twice in scripture, and we know nothing about how the church got started. But most Christians would recognize Thyatira by the two notable women who lived in the city. We first read of Thyatira in Acts 16 when Paul taught and baptized Lydia in a river outside of Philippi. Lydia was from Thyatira and led her own business as a seller of purple, an expensive dye of the day.
However, there was another woman who lived in Thyatira that we learn about in this letter. She is the opposite of Lydia. Jesus gives her the symbolic name of Jezebel after the most wicked woman we can read about in scripture.
- Background of the City
- Thyatira was different in many ways to the cities of Smyrna and Pergamum with their shrines and temples to emperor worship and other notable deities.
- What was most notable about Thyatira was its many trade-guilds, which gives us a likely background of the problems found within the church. These guilds each had their allegiance to the gods they believed were responsible for the prosperity of their business. Therefore, while they did not have the pressure of Smyrna and Pergamum to give honor to the emperor cult, they did face economic pressure from the guilds.
- However, you may have noticed there is no evidence of persecution being endured by the church. This may be because of the “Jezebel sect” in the church that was making it possible to avoid alerting the guilds to their belief and allegiance to King Jesus.
- Jesus’ Self-Description
- As with all the letters, Jesus again identifies himself in a way that reflects the condition of the church.
- “The words of the Son of God” is the first and only time the phrase is used in Revelation. When compared with the vision in chapter one, “Son of God” is not used to describe Jesus, but rather, “one like a son of man” (1:13). Both phrases are used in Daniel (son of God, Dan. 3; son of man, Dan. 7). The two descriptive titles are obviously interchangeable and also alludes to Psalm 2: “You are my Son, this day I have begotten you.”
- “Eyes like a flame of fire” picture Jesus’ eyes penetrating with a flash of fire ready to judge the corruptness of the prophetess Jezebel and her followers.
- “Feet like burnished bronze” indicates that Jesus is ready to tread down the wicked and burn them into ashes.
- “I Know Your Works…”
- “Love, faith, service, and patient endurance.” When we read these words we think, what else is there? Who wouldn’t be thrilled with a church that was full of love, had a strong faith, served one another with diligence, and above all, exhibited patient endurance. This last phrase is used repeatedly in Revelation to indicate Christians who do not let the trials and tribulations that come upon them dissuade them from proclaiming Christ. To Ephesus Jesus said, “you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake.”
- “Your latter works exceed the first.” This is the exact opposite of Ephesus who had lost the love they had at first. Those words should cause us to stop and consider our own works in the presence of Jesus who walks in the midst of the churches. We must ask ourselves: are our works greater today than they were at first. If we are growing, they certainly should be. This indicates that their love and desire for the Lord was burning brighter and brighter. Remember, Jesus is in the midst of us and he knows.
- “You Tolerate That Woman Jezebel”
- The “greater works” of this church did not make up for the false teaching teaching of “Jezebel” and sexual immorality.
- Do you get a little fired up about what is going on in this church! Jesus just gave this great compliment, but how in the world could it be that no one would stand up and object to Jezebel? She calls herself a prophetess. She is seducing Christians to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. How can this be ignored?
- Let me describe this woman for you so you can understand:
- She’s amazingly beautiful.
- Her personality simply draws everyone to her. She is so charismatic; you can’t help but like her.
- She’s confident of everything she does and teaches and can be quite convincing.
- She’s a “prophetess” (though Jesus says, “so-called”). What she is teaching is from God! (So she says)
- She is such a great leader. She has helped so many people, especially helping members get along with the guilds so that they are accepted in the community and don’t starve.
- Now, anyone want to kick her out of the church? And consider, this is such a “loving” church that is unified and working for the Lord. Who wants to mess that up? There is always a desire for peace.
- Our first thought is that this sounds so much like the situation at Pergamum – the doctrine of Balaam creating a stumbling block for sexual immorality and food sacrificed to idols. But there is apparently some difference. For one, this woman is a false teacher in the church. In contrast, there was no mention in Pergamum of the church “tolerating” the teaching. Could it be that the Balaam sect was keeping it quiet? But in Thyatira there is a woman publicly and boldly leading many members in this sinful direction and the all the members know about it, but do nothing.
- Further, there is a hint here of the gnostic teaching of First John or the position taken by some of the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 8. Jezebel could easily argue that participating in the festivals with the meat sacrificed to idols and the sexual immorality, was nothing more than a “fleshly” participation did not defile the spirit and did not change one’s allegiance to Christ. “We all have knowledge!”
- Jezebel in Churches Today
- First, Jezebel is alive and well today when we consider that it is not uncommon for Christians to view pornography or “soft-porn” (nudity, etc.) that is common in a high percentage of movies today. If you are involved in this, please look at what the Lord said he would do to those who participated in this sin (22-23) and those who did not stand up against it. Do something about your sin…NOW.
- Second, maintain a mental & “professional” distance with the opposite sex whether in the church or out. This involves:
- Never allow yourself to even think about a person you have no right to. Refuse thoughts of what it would be like to be with him or her or be married to him or her. Thoughts lead to desires long before there is ever a physical touch. Jesus strongly warned against such.
- Never have conversations with the opposite sex concerning disappointments you have with your spouse or how you wish you were married to someone more loving and caring and met your needs. Never talk about intimate matters with the opposite sex.
- Run! when you feel that flutter in your chest at the presence of the opposite sex. Run! when his or her eyes seem to draw you close to them. These “Jezebel Christians” at Thyatira should have never been anywhere near those pagan festivals because they knew exactly what was going on and the temptations it would bring.
- Please note verse 24 and the apparent rationalization of those who followed Jezebel: “But to the rest of you…who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan…” You’ve surely heard the rationalization, or maybe you’ve thought it: “How can I really evaluate the evil of a sin if I don’t investigate it?” Or maybe the temptation was, “You have no idea how it will send you to the moon! It’s amazing! And it won’t hurt you; no one is getting hurt.”
- Please stop and consider what Jesus just said. Sexual immorality is the deep things of Satan!
- I am appalled at how ignorant people are concerning what this sin does. Proverbs 2:16–19 warns “none who go to her come back, nor do they regain the paths of life.” In other words, those that you know who have cheated on their spouse, never are the same! They will never be what they were before!
- Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6:18, “Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.” I’m persuaded that Paul is just repeating in different words what Proverbs said. And do you think you’ve escaped the damage just because you watch it instead of physically participating? If so, you are deceived.
- Someone says, “But what if they repent?” Hopefully they will, but repentance will not change the fact that such a person will never be the same in this life. Flee!
- Notice verse 21: “I gave her time to repent, but she refuses.” The Lord is patient, but it is foolish to test his patience. Time’s up!
- “To the Rest of You…”
- “Hold fast…until I come… The one who conquers and keeps my words until the end…”
- “Authority over the nations and rule them with a rod of iron.” These are the same words given by God to Jesus in Psalm 2 and is another confirmation that we will sit with Jesus on his throne and share in all the glory with him. The nations who persecuted will be crushed in our presence and we will rule with Jesus. Cf. Ephesians 2:6
- “The morning star.” The morning star inaugurates a new day, a new era in which the darkness has been taken away. The phrase is used in Numbers 24:14-20 to indicate the rise of the Messiah.
Conclusion: There are two choices and two extreme results in each of these letters: faithful till death and receive a crown of righteousness or compromise be crushed by a rod of iron as when earthen pots are shattered. Why do we often live as if there is a third option!
Berry Kercheville