THE SEVEN CHURCHES OF REVELATION
THYATIRA—THE CHURCH OF TOLERATION AND COMPROMISE
TEXT: Revelation 2:18-29
Revelation 2:18-29 KJV And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; [19] 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. [20] 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. [21] And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. [22] Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. [23] And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. [24] 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. [25] But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. [26] And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: [27] 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. [28] And I will give him the morning star. [29] He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
I. INTRODUCTION—TOLERATION
-One of the key buzzwords of our world today is toleration. To be tolerant is one of the most highly prized goals of personal or self-actualization. . . or so the so-called academically and culturally elites are saying.
-We are to tolerate, to allow, to include, and to facilitate those who do not necessarily have the same ideas or beliefs that we may have. One of the definite things that we are to stay entirely away from is being judgmental or discerning. If you display any kind of thoughts or beliefs that would push back against any kind of sin, you are to be treated as a leper, a backwoods hillbilly that has never glimpsed the light of day.
-To even hint at the fact that Jesus is the only way to be saved is to be an extremist, a fundamentalist, or a radical. For that matter carnal spin doctors both inside and outside of the church are doing their best to make us more tolerant.
-They would make us believe that the church needs to be more inclusive, pluralistic, and broad-minded to such a degree as the most politically correct worldling out there.
-What does toleration do?
• It makes the church more worldly.
• It makes the church less doctrinal.
• It makes the church less confident in the Scriptures.
• It weakens the power of the Cross.
• It leads to the world loving the church instead of hating it as they did in the 1st Century.
• It will cause a church to become hungry for the things of the world.
• It minimizes sin.
• It reduces the great call that God has for holiness.
• It places an emphasis on material goals rather than spiritual goals.
-But there is also a great paradox to those politically and religiously correct pundits. . . they push for Christians to be tolerant and yet their intolerance toward Christianity knows no boundaries at all.
-That is why the homosexual agenda pushes against Christian bakers, florists, and photographers who refuse to make wedding cakes, provide flowers, and take pictures of their gatherings.
-You see those intolerant of Christianity wanting to remove the Ten Commandments from public properties, the Bible from a variety of public venues, and any expression of Christianity at all from every area of the public square.
-So would think that this concept is a new one but it is as old as the world, as old as humanity, and it was the problem of the church in Thyatira. They did everything in their power to tolerate the world. . . The KJV uses the word “sufferest” in Revelation 2:20 concerning Jezebel. Generally, when you see that word “suffer” in some areas of the Scriptures it can be understand as “allowed or tolerated.”
II. THYATIRA—THE CHURCH OF TOLERATION
-We come now to the fourth church along the postal route in Asia Minor. Pergamos was the northern-most of the seven cities and as the Roman road curved east, the downward southeast turn led to Thyatira.
-Thyatira was a fairly flat region in a valley that connected between two rivers, Caicus and Hermus.
-This letter is being taken by a messenger back to the “angel,” the pastor at that church. As with all of these churches, we cannot even begin to underestimate the great responsibility that pastoral ministry has in a local church. It is a high and holy calling to be a spiritual leader!
• He is responsible for the church.
• He is to proclaim the truth to the church that is compromising with the world.
• He is to declare the Word of God to those members who would attempt to subvert others with false teaching.
-The letter to this church starts the second group of messages to the churches. Three churches were in the first group:
• Ephesus—A church loyal to the Lord but had left its first love.
• Smyrna—A church that remained loyal to the Lord despite that love being tested by great persecution.
• Pergamos—A church whose loyalty was lacking in moral passion (they were involved in fornication).
-All three of these churches were true to the faith and were fighting against evil.
-The letter to Thyatira kicks off the second group and this group had a situation that was far more serious. While Philadelphia is the lone holdout, the other three; Thyatira, Sardis, and Laodicea had mass defection taking place. It was not a small number that was indifferent to the but large numbers had yielded to the effects of false teaching.
-We shall see a progressive worsening the rest of the way as we track through these churches.
-Note in Revelation 2:24 where Thyatira had literally sunk to the “depths of Satan.” Smyrna had faced hostility from the synagogue of Satan (unbelieving Jews) and Pergamos had existed at Satan’s seat (Gentile false religion of emperor worship). But Thyatira had drowned in depths of Satanic deception.
-There are some things to know about Thyatira that will be helpful to build a foundation for where we are going:
• It was founded by one of Alexander the Great’s successors, Seleucus, as a military outpost.
• Named by Alexander the Great in commemoration of the birth of his daughter.
• It was the smallest of all of the previous cities but received the longest letter. The Lord has more to say to a compromising church that to any other.
• It was a military town that was built to serve as a decoy to guard the capital city of Pergamos, forty miles away. An attacking army would capture it and destroy it but in the process would find they were being scouted out by the Roman armies in Pergamos. It gave them time to prepare for the oncoming attack.
• It was an industrial city that contained labor guilds for potters, tanners, bronze workers, and dyers of wool.
• One portion of their industries made brass armor and it was exported and brought much wealth to the city. A coin from Thyatira found by archaeologists shows a blacksmith hammering a soldier’s helmet on an anvil.
• Their chief trade was wool and the dyeing of it. The bluish-purple dye was made here and it was extremely expensive. Even to this day, the city still exists and is known for its expensive rugs that are made there.
• The purple dye came from two sources, the root of a plant and from a small murex shellfish. To get one gram of this valuable dye, 8500 small shellfish were required. But what made it so valuable was the way the dye would embed itself in the wool that was dipped in the solution.
• These garments were very popular with the royalty and Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar regulated control of these garments to be only for the ruling classes in Rome. Nero would come along and decree that only the emperor had the right to wear blue and purple garments.
-Thyatira was an advanced city for its time as we can see from all of these characteristics. At the time that John sends the letter to them, Thyatira is just beginning to settle into a time of great prosperity and advancement.
-As with all of these letters, there is a similar pattern that is followed. A description of the Lord, the things he commends them for, the corrections that he desires, the advice he gives to do it, and the final reward for the overcomers who are there.
A. Revelation 2:18—The Counselor
Revelation 2:18 KJV And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;
-The Lord uses a reference that is used only once in the book of Revelation, He is the Son of God. He is the risen Christ! When we look back to Revelation 1:13, the Lord is referred to as the Son of Man which emphasized his humiliation and his flesh. Perhaps more importantly he is bringing up His association with all believers in their moments of tribulation.
Hebrews 2:17-18 KJV Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. [18] For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
-The Lord knows the needs, the trials, and the temptations of His church. But He is now identified as the Son of God. It is now on his deity and his deity allows him to serve as a judge.
-His eyes are described as being like a flame of fire:
• Nothing misses his gaze.
• He has piercing, laser-like eyes.
• Nothing can be hidden from his eyes.
• No amount of disguise will cover sin.
• Nothing can be covered from his eyes.
-Some hearers would so much like this aspect of judgment to be played down. It is not a popular message in our day, but it stills has to bear witness to us. . . The Lord is still a divine judge and there is nothing in my life or in yours that escapes his attention. That ought to keep us in a place of repentance and it also should deter us from loose living and low commitment. The higher your view of God is the higher level of devotion you will have.
-Describing Jesus Christ at the Second Coming in great glory and power, his eyes are a “flame of fire” (Rev. 19:12 cf. Dan. 10:6). A church, a minister, and a saint can feel satisfied with all that is going on, can have a good reputation with the associates in the Kingdom and even in the world, but the Lord can see everything.
• He can see the compromise.
• He can see in the dark.
• He can see what goes on behind closed doors.
• He can see all the compromise that lies, steals, cheats, commits immorality, gets drunk, and takes drugs.
He can see all of the false teaching and misleading of people both in the church and outside the church.
• He can see. . . He can see. . . He can see. . .
-But that is not all, John can see his feet that are like brass. Punishing feet of judgment that will step down on all seductive teaching and compromise. His feet will crush the false teachers of compromise. Jezebel was claiming to be a prophetess and the Lord would deal sufficiently with her and her followers.
-Those feet that are like glowing bronze also shows us the purity and the holiness as he tramples out the impurity. I believe that in every saint of God there ought to be a longing for heaven, not as necessarily an escape from hell but as a place of absolute purity and holiness that will be there. There are times that we ought to get weary of the darkness of sin that exists in this world.
-This picture of the Lord should have created shock, consternation, and fear in the heart of the believers in Thyatira. When you compare this appearance to the others he has in Ephesus, Smyrna, and Pergamos, they pale in comparison to his appearance at Thyatira.
-I can only be given to wonder what the Lord’s appearance would be to this church? It is a serious question that all should give great consideration to.
B. Revelation 2:19—The Commendation
Revelation 2:19 KJV 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.
-As with all of the other places, the Lord can see some positive things that are taking place despite the compromise that is going on. The Lord looks at their works that fall into four categories: Charity, service, faith, and works that are greater now than they were at the first.
-Love was waning in Ephesus but in Thyatira it was growing. The Lord is aware of what we do for Him when we are showing love toward others.
-Service literally means “ministry” and they were active in Thyatira in that matter as well. Churches that degenerate into country clubs and social settings will be held greatly accountable by God.
-Faith had to do with dependability. They were on site and plugged into every aspect of the church. You could depend on them to do their job. No need to have to be constantly calling and hunting them down. . . They were faithful.
-He also looked at their patience. Perhaps another word could be their perseverance. They didn’t quit after they got started, they were continuing in their work no matter what obstacle was in front of them. Run your race with patience. Stay at it!
• Stay at the youth ministry.
• Stay at teaching the Sunday School class.
• Stay at your church attendance.
• Stay at paying your tithes and offerings.
• Stay at praying for revival, our missionaries, and our efforts to reach people.
• Stay at your commitment to personal holiness.
• Stay at helping people up who cannot seem to get it right.
-Lastly, he addressed their works which was stronger than at the beginning of their conversion.
-Give serious thought to what has just been addressed: This church is a dynamic, vibrant, living church—reaching out to the community, reaching in to its members, and reaching anything they thought would be helpful. It was full of activity and crowded with people. . . but it was a far cry from what the Lord expected out of them.
-All of this could be summed up in a word, inconsistency.
W. Mitchell—There is nothing which does the devil’s work half so well as the unholy life combined with great profession.
C. Revelation 2:20-23—The Correction
Revelation 2:20-23 KJV 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. [21] And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. [22] Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. [23] And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
-But when we come to the correction, it is very disheartening. The problem was not external persecution but internal compromise. If the devil cannot destroy a church from outward persecution, he will destroy it from within by using people who are supposed to be part of the church. I have a feeling at the judgment there will be a record of more churches that were destroyed from within that were ever destroyed from without. Don’t let the devil get a foothold in your life!
-The complaint from the Lord should awaken interest because a character is named. Jezebel was one of the most wicked women in the Bible. She was the daughter of Ethbaal, the king of the Zidonians. They were worshippers of Baal and she infiltrated Israel with the immoral worship of Baal. Obviously this was not the same one but it was the spirit of Jezebel that was active in the church.
-Spiritual warfare despite some of its mockers, is very much a matter for the modern church to have to contend with.
-The church in Thyatira was allowing this Jezebel to teach and to lead people. She was a self-proclaimed prophetess. Her claim was that God had given her a special gift and the church needed to hear her. Be careful of these kinds of people!
-In Revelation 2:20, John tells the messenger to tell the church what has been observed by the Lord:
• False teaching
• Seduction
• Fornication
• Idolatry
-This Jezebel was guilty of some terrible spiritual infractions:
• She was teaching things that were different than the Lord and His Word.
• She was seducing the Lord’s servants by arguing, presenting reasonable debates, deceiving, misleading, and beguiling the servants and followers of the Lord. (The church was allowing it! No one was confronting it!)
• She was seducing believers to commit fornication which is actually all manner of immoral acts (The Greek word here is PORNEUO.).
• She was seducing believers to take in idols.
-Some might wonder how that could take place in a church. It was because of the insidiousness of it. She was flying under the radar with her charisma, her charm, and her hospitality.
-The nature of her teaching was given in such a way to deceive:
• Believers don’t have to separate themselves from the world because they wouldn’t want to appear snobbish or exclusive.
• Believers need to be sensible because you cannot live in a place without having some associations. No one can win people if they are fanatics or so her line went.
• Believers can reach the world if they will go to their social functions and fellowship with them.
-For a moment think back about the city that Thyatira was; a city of trade guilds and labor unions. If the believers did not attend these then they might lose their jobs. The problem was that all of those associated with the guilds had to get involved in the worship of idols.
-Idol worship in that day involved all sorts of drunkenness and immorality and Jezebel was encouraging them to get involved in it.
-The Lord was not pleased with that behavior and issues them a warning.
• There was a warning to Jezebel. She is going to be cast into a bed of sickness. The Lord is basically saying, “You want to find a bed for your immorality, I am going to put you on your deathbed with physical sickness.”
• There was a warning to those who had given in to her seduction and lifestyle, to those who refused to correct her and would not separate themselves from the world. They were going to suffer great tribulation.
• There was a warning to the children of Jezebel which was most likely not physical children but were spiritual children who followed her ways. They were going to be killed. This may have been the same punishment that had fallen to the Corinthians who were abusing the Lord’s table (1 Cor. 11:30) or it could have meant a reference to the second death that is faced in the final judgment.
• There is a warning that they are going to face judgment because they have compromised with the world and have corrupted the church.
-And yet we see the active hand of God’s grace in the middle of this chaos of a corrupted church. . . Note in Revelation 2:22, “except they repent of their deeds.” God is still granting them time, a space to repent, to turn away from their sin.
-Get that deeply ingrained into your spirit. . . We can still repent so long as we are living on the earth. Repent when the Lord calls you to do so and if we do so, the Lord will save us and deliver us from the coming judgment.
• Acts 3:19—Repent and be converted.
• Acts 8:22—Repent of your wickedness.
• Acts 17:30—All men are commanded to repent.
• 2 Chron. 7:14—Humble yourselves and turn from your wicked ways.
• Isaiah 55:7—Return to the Lord.
• Ezek. 18:21—Turn from all of your sins and keep my statutes, do what is lawful and right. . . that man will live. . .
-There is mercy the Lord has to give but it comes with repentance!
D. Revelation 2:24-25—The Counsel
Revelation 2:24-25 KJV 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. [25] But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.
-Just as we have previously mentioned in the church on Pergamos, there is some amazement that there were some true saints that God had in the middle of the most unlikely places.
-He counsels them to hold fast to the apostolic doctrine. There are pretenders around them who have fallen into the depths of Satan’s domain but God still had faithful servants.
-That phrase “which have not known the depths of Satan” most likely was a doctrine that taught the someone could freely engage the sins of the flesh without it harming the spirit of the man. They believed they could attend these idolatrous feasts and engage in sexual immorality with impunity.
-The Lord’s response was that he would not place a burden on them of having to continue to endure the false teaching and immoral lifestyles that was present in their church. I have a feeling that these people were constantly the target of malicious ridicule and constant enticement from those who were not true saints.
-The Lord tells them to hold fast (KRATEO) which indicates that it would not be easy to do. He told them to get a life and death grip on the truth!
E. Revelation 2:26-29—The Commitment
Revelation 2:26-29 KJV And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: [27] 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. [28] And I will give him the morning star. [29] He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
-To the overcomers! For those who overcome and keep his works until the end, the Lord is going to give them power over the nations. This is a reference to the coming millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ.
-There are two promises that are locked into this segment:
• The Lord will give the overcomers authority over all nations. They will have a powerful rule in a way that if any nation attempts to rebel against the Lord in the millennium, those nations will be destroyed.
• The Lord will give the overcomers the morning star. They literally will have the Lord Jesus Christ. In this life we really only get to behold his glory and majesty but to those who overcome, they literally will have Him!
-That means that everything the Lord ever had available to Him will be in our possession!
III. CONCLUSION—BE AN OVERCOMER
-No matter where we find ourselves as a society and having to deal with the crushing onslaught of the world, we cannot compromise with the world and let it affect the church from within.
-Overcome. . .
• The seduction
• The fornication
• The immorality
• The drunkenness
• The idolatry
• The false teaching of this world
-Keep working and living for the Christ!
Philip Harrelson
October 8, 2016
