The Seven Churches-Thyatira
Introduction: Thyatira is the fourth in the series of the Seven Churches. As with the other churches, the Lord gives a picture or reminder of Himself, followed by a word of praise. He then points out a problem and gives an exhortation to fix or solve that problem. The Lord’s message closes with a word to the overcomers.
A number of commentators and teachers relate how Thyatira was a city with a number of trade guilds (https://biblehub.com/commentaries/pulpit/revelation/2.htm, to name one) and Lydia, the first person in Europe (at Philippi, see Acts 16) to become a believer in Jesus was from that city. Dr. J. Vernon McGee in his “Thru the Bible” edited messages gave his opinion that the “purple” which Lydia sold was called Turkey Red and, he said, that color was red! I checked the internet to see if there was a sample of Turkey Red and, Dr. Mc Gee was right: that was one of the most vibrant, brightest, most intense red colors I’ve ever seen. Apologies to fans of the St Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds baseball teams—that color is redder than anything I’ve seen on either teams’ uniforms.
Someone once remarked that where there’s a church, there’s bound to be trouble, and that was certainly the case in Thyatira. But let’s see first what the Lord reveals about Himself and what words of praise He gives to the saints there.
1 The Picture of Jesus
Text: Revelation 2:18, KJV: 18 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 Jesus Christ here reminds the saints in Thyatira that His eyes are like a flaming fire and His feet are like fine brass (bronze, in some other translations). When He mentioned His eyes, like fire this time, to me this speaks of His ministry of inspection. He sees and He knows and there is nothing anyone can hide from Him. David said as much in Psalm 139.
Then He refers to His feet being like “fine brass”. Brass was used in the Old Testament for several things: armor, shields (like Rehoboam made “brazen shields” after Shishak, king of Egypt came and robbed Judah blind, we might say—see 2 Chronicles12)! Brass was also part of the Tabernacle, like the “brazen altar” where priests made sacrifices to the LORD. The book of Exodus, starting around chapter 20, has a section where the LORD gave Moses the pattern of the Tabernacle and all the related items.
We’ve seen the Lord’s eyes, burning with fire and we’ve seen His feet, like fine brass. Now we’re going to see what good things the Lord has to say about the saints in Thyatira.
2 The Words of Promise
Text, Revelation 2:19, KJV: 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.
As with the other three churches (Ephesus, Smyrna, and Pergamum), the Lord mentions “I know thy works” and, here, adds a few more things. He knew what they were doing, and He knows what we’re doing today. Some of the commentators have the opinion that the church in Thyatira was smaller than those in larger cities and that’s why not much is mentioned in this verse. But there’s a lot more in this verse than we think.
The next thing the Lord mentions is that these Thyatira saints had charity (love, per other translations). This is beautiful: they not only had love for the Lord (and who wouldn’t, after realizing the difference Jesus makes in one’s life!), they had love for each other. That isn’t always easy to do, is it?
Let me give one such example. I had a temporary job many years ago as a “white ticket” electrician (I can’t give details how that happened) but one thing that left me puzzled was that men (nearly all the workers were men at the time) hardly spoke to one another unless they were in the same craft. Millwrights, laborers, electricians and I don’t know who else—we all rode a shuttle bus from parking site to work site, but that was it. We even had separate areas for mealtime! That was simply the way it was, and I’m sure that in Thyatira the various guilds and members of those guilds seemed to pretty much keep to themselves during work time. But when it came time for worship, I can’t help but think that regardless of social status, wealth or lack of same, or anything else, all these believers had love for Jesus and each other!
Now the Lord adds that He knew their “service”. That word “service” is the same word used for “deacon (https://biblehub.com/greek/1248.htm)” and refers to any type assistance. I take that to mean, they saw a need and met that need. We could use that kind of ‘service” today!
Interestingly, the Lord next mentions their faith. Certainly they had used faith to become followers of Jesus, renouncing their pagan backgrounds (there’s no mention of Jews or a synagogue in this text). Now they’re still using and exercising faith even though we’re not told just what was involved here. We can rejoice for them at the time, and with them when the Lord takes all of us believers to be with Him forever!
“Patience” is the next thing which the Lord speaks of. The word is also translated steadfastness, endurance, and perseverance (https://biblehub.com/greek/5281.htm). James had already written that “the trying of your faith worketh patience (Jas 1:3) and that may be a hint of why these saints were holding on, enduring, there in Thyatira. There was probably more bur we can’t say.
And the Lord closes these words of praise by mentioning their works for the second time. It’s the same word used at the first of the verse, but the Lord adds something interesting: He says the “last to be more than the first”. That’s a good thing! Knowing that people are becoming believers in Jesus, trusting Him for salvation, then, as one saint mentioned, “putting feet to their faith”, doing all the Lord praised them for, it is greater than at the first. Ephesus had lost their first love, but here in Thyatira, the current, the last, was even better than at the first.
And Jesus made, and still makes, all the difference!
Despite all this good that was happening, there were a few ongoing problems in Thyatira and the Lord was going to make them aware of it.
3 The Warning of Problems
Text, Revelation 2:20-23, KJV: 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.
“Notwithstanding”. This is a very serious word, leading into the two significant problems facing the church in Thyatira. The first problem involved a woman leader who was teaching and seducing the Lord’s true servants to commit fornication (sexual relations outside marriage), and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. Sadly, this wasn’t the first time a problem like this had come up; Paul had to write detailed instructions in 1 Corinthians 6-10 about these very same issues.
True, it was bad enough in Corinth but now it was even worse in Thyatira. The Lord mentioned “Jezebel” and that name, as John Phillips said in “Exploring Revelation” would mean volumes to those who know their Bibles. Whether or not “Jezebel” was her real name, she had all of the bad and none of the good of her namesake from many miles away and many years in the past. The Old Testament Jezebel was one of the most wicked women to ever set foot on earth and we only have summaries of what she did or caused to happen to God’s true people and prophets. This woman met her fate when Jehu came to town and shouted “Throw her down!” to the ground. She didn’t last long once the wild dogs found her (2 Kings 9:30-37).
As bad as Ahab’s Jezebel was, this Thyatira Jezebel was even worse. Ahab’s Jezebel brought Baal worship into Israel (the northern tribes) but Thyatira’s Jezebel followed the “Corinth policy” by saying it was fine to eat foods (plus other things? We don’t know) which had been sacrificed to idols. There in Corinth, the problem was two-fold: first, the animal was brought to a temple of a certain “god” or “goddess”, then it was pronounced “dedicated” to that idol.
Since idols can’t eat, the animal was then taken to the meat market and slaughtered. It’s been said that some of the best meat in Corinth was found at the “shambles (1 Cor. 9:25)” or meat market. Paul’s message to the Corinthian believers was that A, where you bought the meat didn’t matter; then B, where you ate the meat may pose a problem. The case in Corinth was not so much that an idol’s temple doubled as a steakhouse or restaurant, but, as Ray VanderLaan (That The World May Know) taught in a video teaching series, the meals or feasts would sometimes turn into a pagan orgy with alcohol, prostitutes, and likely more.
Something like that might well have been taking place in Thyatira. As mentioned, this was a city of trade guilds and each guild had a temple to one of the various pagan deities. Attendance at festivals was expected, according to several Bible teachers, and anyone who didn’t attend, well, things could get very difficult for them. Further, even though we’re not told this in this passage, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the same, shall we say, attractions were there in Thyatira as there was in Corinth.
Even worse, this passage seems to be a reflection of what Balaam had encouraged Balak, king of Moab, to do to Israel (as mentioned in Numbers 31:15-16. Before this event, the women of Baal-Peor invited Israel to take part in a sacrifice to their “gods”. Over 20,000 men of Israel did so, bowing down to (converting to?) the worship of those ‘gods” but paid with their lives (Numbers 25). These Israelite men had broken at least the first two of the Ten Commandments plus “thou shalt not commit adultery”. A tragedy that didn’t need to happen.
All of this is bad enough, namely what Thyatira’s Jezebel was teaching (encouraging?) but worse, just like Ahab’s Jezebel, neither one of these women even wanted to repent of the evil they were doing! Ahab’s Jezebel had endured the drought of those days, had heard about what Elijah had done at Mount Carmel, plus even trying to kill every prophet of the LORD she could find—and when she heard about Elijah at Carmel? She wanted him dead! Dr. Oliver Greene wrote in one of his books that he would rather have 17 lions and 19 tigers (IIRC) after him than one bad woman! And Ahab’s Jezebel, no doubt about it, was a bad woman.
Even being aware of the power of the One True God over her false prophets, Ahab’s Jezebel never repented of her evil deeds. The LORD would have gladly saved her soul and given her forgiveness, but she didn’t want anything to do with it. That same mindset (I’ve done nothing wrong) is infecting countless women, and men, even today.
Back to Thyatira’s Jezebel. She, too, had to known about the power of God over all the pagan deities worshiped in Thyatira, she had to have felt the dealings of the Holy Spirit (just as He spoke to every one of us about the need for salvation), and she could still see the works, patience, and faith of God’s genuine believers but she refused to repent, herself. There’s an old song that has as part of its lyrics, “There is none so blind as he who will not see”, and there’s none so hard hearted as those who keep saying No to the Holy Spirit.
Being reminded of how each Jezebel was trying to, let’s go ahead and say it, control things is hard enough to take in. Ahab’s Jezebel came in as a princess and wife, then pushed her way into queen and perhaps high priestess—the 850 or so prophets of Baal and those of the “groves” all “ate at her table” which implies they were on her payroll. In Thyatira, I don’t think any parents would name their daughter after such a wicked person but it’s possible, nonetheless. Even if Thyatira’s Jezebel wasn’t born with that name, she surely was about as close to a copy of Ahab’s Jezebel as possible. And the problems mentioned above weren’t the only ones: there was more.
And it’s because Thyatira’s Jezebel refused or had no desire to repent (how many, if any, had pointed this out to her besides the Holy Spirit?) caused the Lord to make a dire prediction or warning: “I will cast her into a bed (not for comfort, obviously) and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation—except they repent of their deeds.” Compare what she’s doing here with the harlot or “strange woman” of Proverbs 7.Even here the Lord is showing mercy and offering Jezebel and her followers a promise of deliverance if they repent.
A word about “great tribulation”: this couldn’t refer to the “Great Tribulation” because, first, that event hasn’t yet come; second, nobody in Thyatira living in those days are alive on this earth today, and third (a bit technical here), there is no definite article before “great tribulation”. Additionally, none of the signs or sounds predicted in Revelation 6 and following have yet come to pass as of 1-01-2026. Great tribulation could be rendered great distress, great affliction, or even “will suffer a lot”. Strong language alert for this next sentence: anyone who has sexual relations with a harlot risks any number of venereal or sexually-transmitted diseases.
It’s not worth the risk of a gift that never goes away for the momentary pleasure of having sex outside of marriage. To paraphrase a word of warning to a former colleague who lived in a large Midwestern city known for ‘ladies of the evening”: this person was told “you can pay for a good time, but you’ll pay a lot more if you come down with an STD”. Sage advice.
The Lord still wasn’t finished. He went on to say, “I will kill her children with death”, meaning perhaps either literal babies born from her approved adultery, or spiritual children, those who follow her teachings (e.g. Ellicott, https://biblehub.com/commentaries/revelation/2-23.htm and Barnes’s Notes, https://biblehub.com/commentaries/barnes/revelation/2.htm).
Now, some of this may sound harsh to us—but let’s remember, the Lord doesn’t want to destroy anybody. He would much rather welcome someone, anyone, even one of Jezebel’s children into His loving arms than see one of them perish (2 Peter 3:9, John 3:16, Luke 15:10)! But if they don’t, the Lord has no other option than to render justice instead of grace, and punishment instead of mercy and grace.
None of this is ever meant to be a slap in the face or anything like that: He is simply laying out the facts, the future, and the premise: He is the One Who searches “the reins and the heart (the inner man or soul-spirit)” and also a promise that He will give to everyone “according to your works.” There is another portion of Scripture, 1 Corinthians 3, which describes some, at least, of the materials believers produce down here (qualities vary, of course). The fire will try each person’s work and what remains will be rewarded. It goes without saying the Lord would rather reward for faithful service, so may all of us remember to give our Lord our very best.
I admit to spending a lot of time here in the middle. It’s because there was and is a lot to unpack, especially for those who may not know much about (either) Jezebel and how each one did her best (worst?) to misuse her position and cause a lot of grief for God’s people. Clearly, not all female teachers are bad; I still remember three ladies who taught Sunday school for me and some others during my childhood. They were faithful to their homes, their Bibles, and their Lord. Who could ask for anything better?
But not all female teachers are good. There was Thyatira’s Jezebel, who we might say was one of the first and worst because of what she was teaching. Let everyone examine what any Bible teacher says, and see if, male or female, that person’s teaching is aligned with the Word of God.
All of this is leaving me feeling unsettled: sure, there’s the promise of rewards for my works, but the reality of false teachers and false teaching is never far from any of us. Some in Thyatira had fallen for their Jezebel’s teaching, but praise the Lord, others did not! The Lord has words for those who overcome in the next set of verses.
4 The Words to the Overcomer
Text, Revelation 2:24-29, KJV: 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.
The Lord may have given us a clue as to what type of doctrine Jezebel was teaching there. One of the earliest and worst false doctrines was called Gnosticism. Those belonging to that group held to two basic but contradictory doctrines: one, that since matter was evil and “spirit” was good, it didn’t matter what anyone did with their bodies; second, the same teaching led some to become almost ascetic (like monks and nuns, as some observed). One book I remember reading contained an exchange, sort of, between a Gnostic and another person: “What do you Gnostics believe?” The reply: “Deep things.” That was it. But it didn’t even come close to the plain teachings of God’s Word.
I can almost feel the Lord’s weariness as He tells the saints in Thyatira, “For those of you who don’t hold Jezebel’s doctrine, and haven’t known the ‘deep things’ of Satan, I won’t put any other burden on you.” Some teachers commented that things were so far gone in Thyatira that the Lord simply told the true believers, “Hold on and hold fast till I come!”
I have to confess to not completely understanding what these last few verses really mean. Again, some teachers think that the reference to “the morning star” stands in contrast to the Greek “god” Apollo, the sun god, worshiped as Tyrimnos in Thyatira. On a more humorous note, in one of his sermons Martin Luther referred to his wife as “. . .Katarina von Bora is the morning star of Wittenberg (what a tribute!)”
Let me try to pull it all together here. The Lord first gave these saints in Thyatira a reminder of Himself, reminding them He has eyes like a flaming fire and His feet are like fine brass. He went on to simply list the good things, praiseworthy things, and we can take comfort, too, in knowing that He is aware of what we do, even if no one else has any knowledge.
Then the Lord gets to the real problem areas: the false teacher Jezebel, and the unscriptural doctrines she was teaching, if not giving agreement to. These were problems the Church had dealt with before, but like a weed, these false doctrines popped up in Thyatira. Even so, the Lord made promises for those who could and did overcome Jezebel and her followers.
Even if we feel overwhelmed, may we remember what the Lord told these saints, and others: “Hold fast till I come.” He will never leave us, nor forsake us, but we still have to rely on Him. They did so in Thyatira, and we can do so even today. I hope all of us will do so!
Scripture quotations taken from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV)
