Letter # 4 – Letter to the Church at Thyatira
Revelation 2:18 - “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write, ‘These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass:’”
Son of God
As Jesus commences His letter to the Church at Thyatira, He introduces Himself to them as the Son of God. This term, ‘Son of God,’ is a term that created waves of dissent and confusion back in the days of Jesus, as it does even in today’s world. People are willing to accept Jesus as a teacher, as a prophet, as a messenger and so much more, but to accept Him as the Son of God is so difficult for many people. But Jesus categorically introduces Himself as the Son of God, whether He’s accepted as such or not.
By not accepting Jesus as the Son of God, people are inadvertently rejecting the Father’s claim about Jesus as well, because more than once God the Father proclaimed in the hearing of more than one person that Jesus was His beloved Son in whom He was well pleased. You can read it in the following passages.
Mt.3:16,17 – “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
We find in the above verse the Father and the Holy Spirit both acknowledging Jesus to be the Son of God, and if this is so, who are we mere mortals to deny that Jesus is God’s Son?
Again we read in the account of the transfiguration of Jesus before the three disciples, Peter, James and John, Mt.17:5 – “While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”
In the above verse it’s clear again that the Father acknowledges Jesus as His Son. It is one thing for Jesus to claim to be God’s Son, but it’s another thing for the Father Himself to claim that Jesus is His Son.
What about us?
• Do we know Jesus as the Son of God or are we still in doubt as to His identity and therefore delaying our very own Salvation?
• Do we know people around us – family, friends or neighbours who doubt or disbelieve that Jesus is the Son of God? If so, we have a responsibility to share our faith with them, and pray that they will come to know the Lord for who He is and be saved.
Eyes like a flame of fire
The second description of Jesus is of having eyes like a flame of fire. It’s not an imagery used anywhere else except in this passage and again in Rev.19:12. From the very description of the eyes of Jesus it’s evident that His gaze is no ordinary gaze. It sounds like a consuming gaze – a gaze that consumes that which is not right in His sight. No unrighteous, hypocritical, or unauthentic person could gaze upon such eyes.
What about us?
• Are we living lives that are authentic and righteous, or are we living hypocritical lives, claiming to be something we are not with the intent of deceiving people?
• We should not for one moment think that we can deceive God, because He sees right through us.
Feet like fine brass
It appears, from this verse that the feet of the Lord Jesus were rather strong and meant in this context for more than just walking. We’ll look at this in depth later.
Better than before
Revelation 2:19 – “I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first.”
Works
Jesus begins by commending this city church for several things, the first one being their works. This was the one thing He had commended the Churches at Ephesus, Smyrna and Pergamos as well for. This was a good sign that they were living the way the Lord wanted them to live, at least to some extent. They were putting their faith into practice.
Love
Jesus then commended them for their love – something the church at Ephesus fell short on. For this church, their love seemed to be the thing that their works stemmed from. Perhaps they loved God and loved one another as Jesus expected them to.
Service
The love resulted in serving the Lord and one another in every possible way. Love cannot exist in isolation - it must result in service to both God and one another.
Faith
Jesus commended them on their faith in Him – a faith that saw them through difficult times, a faith that saw the impossible happen, a faith that perhaps was unshakable, no matter the circumstances they faced.
Patience
The Lord then commends them for their patience – perhaps in the face of suffering or persecution on account of their faith. This patience goes beyond merely passively waiting for something to happen – its enduring hardship for the sake of Christ, and enduring it patiently.
The last are more than the first
Jesus ends by further complementing them for their works, which only grew over time and did not decline. They were doing more then than when they first began their walk of faith in Jesus. This was an amazing church that seemed to have been living their lives with the right perspective, and in a way that was certainly pleasing to Jesus.
Revelation 2:20 – “Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.”
After all His commendations for this church at Thyatira, Jesus then goes on to say that He is not entirely pleased with the Church at Thyatira because they were tolerant to certain theology or doctrine (referred to in general as Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess) that does two things to the servants of Jesus – teaches or condones sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols, and even promotes such behaviour among the servants of Christ as well.
When there’s faulty theology or doctrine in the church, it’s only a matter of time before there’s faulty living, including immoral living that prevails in the church.
What about us?
• When we look at ourselves, do we see a similar sinful, immoral lifestyle prevalent?
• Adultery, divorce, sexual immorality, homosexuality idol worship and so much more are becoming more and more the norm than the exception.
• Is an improper understanding of the grace of God being used as a cover up for these lifestyles?
• Do we believe in certain theologies that teach that it doesn’t matter how we live, since all our sins – past, present and future have been forgiven, and our place is reserved for us in heaven? (Nothing can be further from the truth). May such false teachers be convicted, corrected and change, lest they continue to lead God’s people astray by their false teaching.
Revelation 2:21-23 – “And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. 22 Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. 23 I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.”
Time to Repent
Jesus goes on to say that He gave this Church at Thyatira time to repent of her sexual immorality but she did not repent. Just because time is given to repent does not mean that all people will avail the opportunity to do so. For some, time means permission to continue in sin. Sometimes delayed punishment is seen as divine permission, but God’s patience is meant to lead one to repentance, not to continue on in a certain immoral behaviour. The Apostle Peter said in 2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
What about us
Do we take God’s patience with our sin as permission to sin? If so, it’s about time we realised that God’s patience with us does not mean permission but is rather meant to make us penitent for our sin.
The Punishment
Jesus spells out the punishment He will mete out to those who don’t repent of their sexual immorality. He says that He will cause such seductive people to become sick. He also adds that as a result of this permissive teaching God will cause them to suffer great tribulation. Let’s differentiate between tribulation that’s a result of one’s faith in Christ from this tribulation that the Lord brings upon those who choose to live sinful lifestyles.
What about us?
• Are we able to differentiate between suffering we bring upon ourselves because of our sinful living, and suffering we encounter on account of our faith in the Lord?
• Do we take sin lightly and expect that God will do so too?
The Searcher of our minds and hearts
He goes on to say that He will strike the children of such false teachers dead. This would serve as a deterrent for other churches who would then realise that Jesus is not just a loving God, but also a holy, just God, who expects us to live holy, moral lives. For those who think that it doesn’t matter what we desire and think, and it’s only our words and actions that matter to the Lord, Jesus says, “And all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts.” The Lord has always been concerned about the mind and the heart, while man has always been caught up with the outside – words, emotions, actions, and reactions. We forget that all we say and do stems from the heart and mind. Our desires propel our thoughts and our thoughts our emotions, words and actions.
What about us?
• Do we realise that God is as concerned about our desires and thoughts as He is about our emotions, words and actions?
• Do we take time and effort to ensure that our hearts and minds are right before God?
Remember the time the Lord said to Prophet Samuel in 1 Sam.16:7 - “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
Rewarder of actions
Jesus goes on to say that not only does He search the minds and hearts of people, but He also rewards each person according to their works (their words, actions and reactions).
What about us?
• Let’s remember that the Lord who sees and knows all that we do will reward us accordingly – for the good and the bad we do.
Revelation 2:24-25 - “Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden. 25 But hold fast what you have till I come.”
Hold fast till I come
The Lord Jesus then addresses those believers in Thyatira who’ve not been influenced by the teaching of Jezebel – a teaching that He refers to as knowing the depths of Satan. He says that He will not burden them any further – as they are already burdened with standing against false, adulterous teaching. The only thing He asks of them is that they hold tightly to what they already possess until He returns. They must have possessed a lot of faith, perseverance, resolve to remain faithful, great sense of determination to stay away from false teaching, and the Lord asks them to hold on to these things.
Revelation 2:26-28 – “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—27 ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’— as I also have received from My Father; 28 and I will give him the morning star.”
The Rewards
Jesus then promises rewards to those who overcome all the temptations to stray away from the faith, and who keep doing His works. His works refers to doing all that the Lord saved them to do – to lovingly and faithfully serve Him.
Power to rule nations
The first thing the Lord Jesus promises such faithful people is power over the nations. Imagine that – people who have suffered for the name of Jesus, have been persecuted, have kept the faith against all odds, are now given authority over nations. Jesus then quotes from Psalm 2:9, “You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.” This is the authority Jesus received from His father, and He now shares this authority with those who are overcomers here in this life. Together they will reign with the Lord in the life to come.
The ones who caused the persecution by rebelling against God and His word, will now be subject to Jesus’ rule, which they can never stand up against. He will rule them with a rod of iron, and so will those who’ve been persecuted but overcome.
Revelation 2:28 – “And I will give him the morning star.”
Jesus then promises the morning star to all such who overcome in this world. Jesus is referred to as the bright and morning star in Rev.22:16. Could this be referring to the fact that Jesus will be all theirs forever?
Jesus had just said that He would share the authority He had received from His father to rule the nations with a rod of iron, but now He goes further to say that He will share with them more than just His authority, but rather share with them Himself – the Bright and Morning star. He will be with them forever.
Revelation 2:29 - “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Jesus ends this letter by telling the church to listen to what His Holy Spirit has to say to them. These words are not to be ignored or taken lightly, because they are very significant to them. The Holy Spirit leads the church in the way we should live our lives, and so we need to pay heed to His leading in our lives.
What about us?
• Are we willing to do all it takes to hold fast to our faith in spite of all the odds we face on account of our faith?
• If so, we are guaranteed that we will not only share with the authority of Jesus, but will have the amazing privilege of having Him for eternity.
