Author : Keith Sharp
Revelation 2:18-29
Address
The Lord now commands the apostle to write “to the angel of the church in Thyatira.”
The City of Thyatira
The city of Thyatira was located in northern Lydia, near Mysia, on the Lycas River. It was not as large as some cities of Asia, thus, Christ sent the longest of the seven letters to the least important of the cities. However, Thyatira was wealthy. The city was known for purple dye (cf. Acts 16:14) used to color the clothing of the royalty and wealthy and contained a number of trade guilds which practiced pagan religion and engaged in immoral practices. Thyatira boasted several pagan temples, including one to the goddess Sambethe, who was served by a prophetess who claimed to speak for the deity.
Self-Identification of Christ
Jesus identifies Himself as “the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass” (verse 18). In John’s introduction to Revelation, He saw “One like the Son of Man” who “had eyes like a flame of fire” and feet “like fine brass” (1:13-15; cf. Ezekiel 1:7). Thus, Christ Jesus is both Man (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 2:17) and God (Hebrews 1:1-4,8). He knows perfectly all we do, say, and think (cf. Revelation 2:2,9,13,19;3:1,8,15) and has the strength to conquer all his enemies and grind them to dust (cf. Daniel 2:34-35,44).
Commendation
The Lord informed the church, “I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first” (verse 19). they were a working church. Their love, i.e. active good will, was manifested in obedience to the Lord (John 14:15; 1 John 5:3) and deeds of kindness toward others (1 Corinthians 13:4-7; 1 John 3:16-18). They followed the Master by serving God and others (Matthew 20:25-28; Philippians 2:3-8). They were faithful, i.e., reliable, dependable, in their work for the Lord (1 Corinthians 4;2) as well as patient, i.e., steadfast, enduring, in that work (Hebrews 12:1-3). Furthermore, rather than declining spiritually as the church in Ephesus (Revelation 2:4-5), the congregation in Thyatira was growing increasingly zealous (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:1). In their works the church in Thyatira was a good example we should follow (Philippians 3:17).
Condemnation
Yet this seemingly wonderful congregation had a serious defect that drew the Lord’s condemnation and warning. They tolerated in their midst a woman whom Christ called “Jezebel,” a woman who, as the one who served the idol Sambethe, claimed to be a “prophetess,” i.e., a female who is thought to speak by inspiration for a deity (verse 20; cf. Acts 2:17-18; 21:9).
The literal Jezebel was the Old Testament queen who was the daughter of Ethbaal, King of Sidon, and wife of Ahab, King of Israel. She was the archetype of a wicked woman, who led her husband and Israel to worship the god Baal, killed the Lord’s prophets, tried to kill Elijah, supported prophets of Baal and of Ashera, and was guilty of “harlotries” and “witchcraft” (cf. 1 Kings 16:31-33; 18:4,19; 19:1-2; 21:25-26; 2 Kings 9:22). She symbolized an influential woman in Thyatira who led Christians to share in the pagan immoralities of Thyatira.
This “Jezebel” taught and seduced, i.e., led astray, the Lord’s servants “to commit sexual immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols” (verse 20). The church in Ephesus hated the Nicolaitans (verse 6), who taught the same doctrine of compromise as Jezebel (verses 14-15), whereas, the brethren in Pergamos also tolerated this error (Ibid). The Lord has always commanded Christians and congregations not to tolerate those who teach and practice sinful error and immorality (Ephesians 5:11; 1 Corinthians 5:1-6). Peter and Jude also fought this problem of false teachers who seduced Christians to compromise with false religion and its attendant moral corruption (2 Peter 2:1-3,14-15; Jude verses 3-4,8,11). This heresy was similar to and led to the gnostics of the second and third centuries. A congregation must not tolerate in its midst those who teach error that leads to unbelief, sin, and immorality, for it will eventually lead to a general departure from the faith.
Christ had given Jezebel “time to repent of her sexual immorality,” but she refused (verse 21). The Lord is longsuffering with those who teach and practice sinful error, hoping to lead them to turn from their evil way (2 Peter 3:9), but His wrath is reserved for those who stubbornly refuse to do so (Romans 2:5).
The Lord threatened to bring appropriate punishment upon Jezebel and her children, i.e., followers, unless they repented (verses 22-23). None can hide from Christ his real loyalty, for He “searches the minds and hearts” (verse 23). Not even our thoughts and motives are hidden from Him (Hebrews 4:13).
He will cast those who persist in false doctrine and immorality into a bed of fire rather than of pleasure and kill them with the second death, eternal punishment in hell (Revelation 2:11; 20:14; 21:8). He is able to reward each one according to His works and will do so (verse 23; Galatians 6:7-8).
Exhortation
To those who kept themselves pure from the defilements of Jezebel, the Lord required no more than that they remain faithful till He comes (verses 24-25). The “depths of Satan” (verse 24) apparently were secret doctrines borrowed from pagan philosophy and reserved for those initiated into the cult of Jezebel. All false doctrine is really from Satan (John 8:44). All Christ requires of us is to remain loyal in faith and work to the end and to refuse to compromise with sin and error.
Promise
The promises of the Lord are to those who overcome and keep the works of Christ until the end (verse 26). Thus, to receive the reward we must conquer sin and be faithful to the end.
The psalmist of old prophesied that God would crown Christ as King (Psalm 2:6) and that Christ as King would break the nations “with a rod of iron” (Psalm 2:9). David foretold that Christ would rule in the midst of His enemies (Psalm 110:1-2), whereas Isaiah prophesied that “He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth” (Isaiah 11:1-4). John pictures the conquering Christ as having a “sharp sword” that goes “out of His mouth” and ruling the nations “with a rod of iron” (Revelation 2:27; 19:15). A rod of iron was literally an instrument with which a victorious king crushed his enemies and symbolizes triumphant reign.
Jesus conquered Satan by His resurrection from the dead (Ephesians 4:8-10) and presently reigns in the midst of His enemies over His spiritual kingdom (Acts 2:29-36; Hebrews 1:1-4,13; Revelation 1:4-6; 19:15; John 18:36; Romans 14:17). His reign will continue until the resurrection, at which time He will return the rule to the Father (1 Corinthians 15:22-26).
As we conquer sin by keeping the works of Christ until the end, we rule with Him (verses 26-27; Romans 5:17; Revelation 5:9-10) in His spiritual kingdom at this present time (Colossians 1:13; Revelation 1:9).
If we thus overcome sin and Satan, the Lord promises to give us “the morning star” (verse 28). The “morning star” is literally the planet Venus, the bright heavenly body which at certain times of the year precedes and heralds the approach of dawn (chabotspace). The Son of God is the “Bright and Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16) in Whom we have “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3).
Invitation
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (verse 29)
Work Cited
http://www.chabotspace.org/vsc/talk/astronomyFAQs.asp?selected=5#bookmark5.
