The Black Sheep

“The Black Sheep”

Rev. 2:18-29

Michael H. Koplitz

This letter to the church at Thyatira is the longest of the seven letters. It’s symbolism focuses on a woman named Jezebel. I am sure that you all have heard that name before. We tend to use it today in a similar way that was used in the letter to the church at Thyatira. All of our Hebrew Scripture scholars are sitting back, remembering the stories about this lady, right. For those of you who need a reminder, let me tell you that Jezebel was the wife of King Ahab of Judah, and her story can be found in 2 Kings, especially chapter 9.

The Hebrew Scriptures never describe Jezebel as a priest or priestess of Baal as Revelation does. However, she is described as being vehemently opposed to the prophet Elijah. Of course, Elijah told Ahab that he shouldn’t marry a pagan woman. What was worse, Ahab allowed her to bring Baal worship into Israel didn’t help Elijah’s relationship with Jezebel.

God’s laws that He passed down through Moses to us and then from His Son to us prepare us for heaven. They also set us apart as righteous people. I know that there are commands in the Bible that we don’t like. However, not following them is folly on our part. Just read the history of the Hebrew people in the books of Judges, Kings, and Samuel. The people suffered whenever they decided not to follow the Lord’s Word. We are not allowed to pick and chose what parts of the Bible we intend to follow. This book is an all-inclusive manual of life.

With this letter, we see a change in what will happen to the church when Christ returns. Here we are told that not all but that some of the people will be sent to God’s wrath. Who is going to be sent? Those who blatantly ignore God’s Word will be sent to the Wrath on judgment day. Also, what is important to note is that God is not condemning the entire church because of the actions of some.

We have heard lately a lot about the prisoner abuses that have occurred in Iraq. It would be unfortunate and wrong to condemn our entire armed forces because of the irresponsible behavior of a few soldiers who decided not to follow the rules and conduct of military operations. They are the black sheep of the army. Unfortunately, the world is ready to condemn our army because of these acts. What we must learn from this letter is that it is wrong. If God did not condemn the church at Thyatira as a whole because of its black sheep, then we shouldn’t condemn our army because of a few acts.

This brings us the first tension that we will find through the book of Revelation. The first three churches we read about were told that they would be condemned as a whole because of the actions of a few. We call that corporate judgment. In this letter, we are told that individuals will be judged upon the return of the Lord.

In Europe and Northern America, there is a strong belief in individualism. We tend to think about our futures as not being connected. We believe that Christ will judge each of us separately on judgment day. We should like the tone of the judgment being pronounced in this letter.

In South America, Africa, and Asia, there is a strong belief in the family unit. In these areas of the world, it is believed that the whole church will be judged. If there is one black sheep in the church, then the entire church will suffer. This is the corporate view of judgment. We have a hard time understanding and accepting this view because of our culture.

South American culture promotes the family and the neighborhood as a family. Everyone is seen as interrelated. They tend to work and play as a family unit. So from their cultural point of view, the judgment of the previous three letters will prevail. In our culture, especially in the United States, we strongly believe in individualism. We can see it especially today when you consider how family units will create great distances between each other in the name of a better-paying job. The idea of more for the individual outweighs the need for the family.

So from our point of view, each of us will stand by him or herself on judgment day. That also means that you can not latch onto the goodness of the church and expect it to save you. If we are believers, each of us will stand before the throne of God with Christ, and each of us will have to answer the tough questions about our own lives.