Revelation 2:18-29
The
Would you open your Bibles to…
Rev. 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:
Rev. 2:19 “I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first.
Rev. 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.
Rev. 2:21 “And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.
Rev. 2:22 “Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds.
Rev. 2:23 “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.
Rev. 2:24 “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.
Rev. 2:25 “But hold fast what you have till I come.
Rev. 2:26 “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations--
Rev. 2:27 ‘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;
Rev. 2:28 “and I will give him the morning star.
Rev. 2:29 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’
Pray
Intro
√ A busy church
By way of reminder this church…
…was busy about good works!
Yet, they are singled out by Jesus for some of the harshest warnings and judgements because they had allowed false teaching and corruption into the Lord's Church.
A reminder that the Lord looks beyond the external, He isn’t fooled by an attractive façade of good works. Rather, the Lord desires good works born of a pure heart and pure doctrine.
√ Type of the historic church of Medieval times
590 - 1517 AD when the Church adopted many pagan practices mixing the pure religion of Christ with the worship of false gods.
Ex. The worship of Mary – exalting her to the unbiblical position of co-redeemer and teaching that she was sinless. “Queen of heaven” – the pagan title of the false goddess of worshipped the Jews (Jer. 7 & 44).
Ap. A pure heart
The Lord didn't save us to be busy, rather, He saved us for Himself. He desires us to be pure in the practice of our faith.
He will not tolerate any rival throne in our heart.
Ex. Very contemporary!
Very few people today who call themselves “Christian” actually believe and practice the things that God tells us define a true believer.
Many people in the Church today have an eclectic system of religious beliefs that they’ve gathered from the 4 corners of the religious world.
They throw in a little Jesus, mix in a little Zen, stir it together with some Neo-Pagan Nature worship…
…and call that “Christianity”!
This letter to the church in Thyatira should forever serve to clarify for us that Jesus simply will not accept anything less than a pure faith in the lives of His people!
Exhortation, correction & warning (vs. 20-23)
Rev 2:20 "Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and beguile My servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols.
Rev 2:21 "And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.
Rev 2:22 "Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds.
Rev 2:23 "And 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.
√ Exhortation
With all the good things going on in Thyatira Jesus now lists a number of things which He is very upset about. But note that the primary focus of His attention is upon…
"that woman Jezebel"
…and that the church, especially the leadership of the church, had allowed her a place of ministry.
To better understand the exhortation here we need to ask…
"who was this woman?, & "what was she doing?"
√ Who was she?
Jezebel was probably not her real name, rather it is symbolic of a self-styled prophetess within the church, after the pattern of Jezebel in the Old Testament (1 Kings 16-21 and 2 Kings 9:30-37).
• Wife of King Ahab - daughter of the priest/king of
Sidon.
• Killed almost all the prophets of God.
• Tried to kill Elijah.
• Had Naboth murdered.
• Introduced Israel to false worship – placing her gods
in the Jewish Temple.
• The worship which she introduced was the same as
Jesus describes here - involving sexual immorality
and eating of food sacrificed to idols.
• She was so wicked that God singled her out for
horrible punishment and spoke through Elijah that she
would be killed and eaten by the dogs.
The name Jezebel then is a type or symbol of great wickedness and the desire to lead others astray in that wickedness.
John Walvoord writes…
"She was one of the most evil characters of the Old Testament, who attempted to combine the worship of Israel with the worship of the idol Baal . . . Jezebel herself had a most unenviable record of evil."
Note also vs. 20 that Jesus says…
"who calls herself a prophetess"
That is, this "Jezebel" at the church of Thyatira wasn't really a prophetess, she only claimed to be one. Yet, it seems that the Christians there received her as a prophetess, and that's why Jesus gives them this warning.
Ex. Remember, Jesus warned us that this would happen
“Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.” Matt. 24:11
Those words were first spoken with a view to the end times, but there have always been those who call themselves prophets in the church, but are not.
Beware lest you find yourself seduced from the truth by some self-proclaimed prophet or prophetess – there are many in the world today!
√ What was this woman doing?:
She was using her position within the church to teach the believers to participate in sexual immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols.
Exactly what the historic Jezebel did - taught Israel to mix her pagan religious practices with the worship of the true God!
How?
Some have suggested a connection with the mandatory social gatherings of the guilds (i.e. trade unions) in Thyatira.
Ex. Guild meetings
A Christian might be invited to the monthly meeting of the goldsmith's guild held at the temple of Apollo.
Jezebel" might allow or even encourage the man to go - perhaps even using a "prophetic" word - and when the man went, he would fall into immorality and idolatry.
√ One might wonder why a Christian in Thyatira would simply chose not join the local guild.
The draw to the guilds and their meetings was powerful. A Christian in Thyatira had no hope of making money unless he/she belonged to one of the local trade guilds (i.e. union).
Ex. One ancient Christian named Tertullian wrote about Christians who made their living in trades connected to pagan idolatry.
He said a painter might find work in pagan temples or a sculptor might be hired to make a statue of a pagan god. They would justify taking the work by saying…
"This is my living, and I must live."
To which Tertullian replied…
"Must you live?"
Ap. Doing business in America
Brothers and sisters, be careful that you don't compromise your faith in the conduct of your business.
Ex. Business meetings at bars or clubs - expectation to drink socially or partake in the activities of unbelievers to make a deal.
Ex. Renee Russo – doing a nude scene!
But, it would be better to lose the deal or not take the job than to compromise your faith.
It comes down to a question of faith…
…who do you look for to provide your needs?
God, or Mammon? It is better to be poor and pure, than to be wealthy and compromised in your faith.
√ Time to repent
In view of the serious sin that this woman had introduced to the Church, I find verse 21 simply amazing!
Rev 2:21 "And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.
Jesus' greatest accusation is that this woman "Jezebel" did not repent.
She apparently rejects the work of the Holy Spirit in her heart, calling her to repentance!
What a tragedy to ignore the mercy of God! Repentance is such a blessed privilege…
…that God has given us the opportunity of turning around, receiving a fresh start and avoiding His judgement!
Reminds me that the only sin that will keep a person out of heaven is the one of which he/she refuses to repent of!
Ap. The point is that God gives each person time to repent of their sin. However, if they refuse to change their ways then He will bring judgement!
√ Judgement
Rev 2:22 "Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds.
Rev 2:23 "And 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.
In response to this woman’s refusal to repent Jesus now proclaims judgement upon her and those who follow her teaching.
Cast her in a "sickbed" - direct contrast to the bed of pleasure.
Kill her children with death - a reference to those who believed her doctrine and continued to practice it.
Note the severity of the Lord’s judgement! We might wonder why the Lord would bring death upon this woman and her followers.
Note that He tells us why in vs. 23…
“And all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts.”
The result of God’s judgement is to bring a healthy fear of God to the other churches so that they would not be seduced by her evil teaching and practices.
Reminds us that the Lord will use a rod of correction to teach His children and to protect His Church.
Ex. Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5
Act 5:11 So great fear came upon all the church and
upon all who heard these things.
Effective because the fear of a righteous God purges evil out of our hearts.
Paul exhorted the Corinthians in this manner also. They took their Christian liberty to an extreme to justify their sinful life styles.
2Co 6:17 Therefore "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you."
2Co 6:18 "I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."
2Co 7:1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Ap. Why does revival tarry?
Perhaps because there is sin in the Church today. Many Christians lack a proper fear of the Lord that would keep them from sin and therefore have compromised their faith.
As a result the Church is weak – like Israel when they went up against Ai and were defeated because of Achan’s sin.
So, the church in Thyatira, especially the leadership…
…was called to quickly remove those in authority who taught false doctrine and encouraged immorality.
Instruction (vs. 24-25)
Rev 2:24 "But to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they call them, I will put on you no other burden.
Rev 2:25 "But hold fast what you have till I come.
√ Instruction
Apparently not everyone in Thyatira had been unfaithful to the Lord Jesus. To this Godly remnant Jesus has no word of rebuke, but instead simply encourages them to...
"hold fast till I come."
Wow! Can you imagine how difficult that would be? To be one of the few in a church, or a community, or a nation, who refused to adopt the popular teaching of the day?
This reminds us that even in the most corrupt church, and in the most corrupt times, God maintains a faithful few who do not turn from the Truth.
They continue to shine in their witness for Jesus. But it sure can seem lonely in times like that!
Ex. Remember Elijah in I Kings 19:10
1Ki 19:10 So he
said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the
children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and
killed Your prophets with the sword. I
alone am left; and they seek to take my life."
Yet he wasn't alone - the Lord had 6,000 others in Israel who like Elijah had refused to worship the false gods of Jezebel.
√ Note the timing of Jesus' instruction. He says...
"hold fast till I come."
This is the first time in His letters to the 7 churches that He makes reference to His Return. The interesting thing about that of course is that He hasn't come back yet!
The point being that this message has both a historical application to the actual church in Thyatira 1900 years ago…
…and it also has a prophetically application of the condition of the Church before Jesus returns.
That is, the general condition of the "Church" at the time Jesus returns will be one of great apostasy and spiritual adultery.
Ap. We don't have to look very hard at the condition of the Church in our own day to see this kind of corruption.
On the one hand it's very frustrating to see the corruption and find ourselves so powerless to stop it.
On the other hand, it is very exciting to see the corrupt condition of the Church because it indicates that we may well be that generation to see the Lord's Return!
Promise (vs. 26-29)
Rev 2:26 "And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations--
Rev 2:27 'He shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the potter's vessels shall be broken to pieces'--as I also have received from My Father;
Rev 2:28 "and I will give him the morning star.
Rev 2:29 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
√ Promise
To the overcomer - those who remain faithful to Jesus He promises....
Power over the nations; the promise here is that the those who overcome will rule and share responsibility with Jesus in the governing of the world.
Interesting that this promise comes right after the verse speaking of His 2nd Advent!
A reference to the Millennial reign of Christ on the earth…
…for the saints will not have power over other believers in heaven, so this must be in reference to His reign on earth.
The morning star; there are many thoughts as to the exact meaning of this statement. My favorite is that Jesus is here referring to Himself as the Morning Star who will rescue the church before the dark hours of the Tribulation which proceed the Dawn of the Millennial Kingdom. (II Peter 1:19 & I Thess. 4:13-18).
Perhaps also the promise that we who trust in Jesus will be “marked” by His Light in that future kingdom!
Like a star in your crown!
√ Invitation
As with each of the letters to the churches Jesus ends His message with a general invitation to anyone who would "hear" and respond.
Though the Gospel message proclaims an exclusive Way to eternal life, it is available to any who will receive it!
Are you ready for the Morning Star?
Close
√ Beware of compromise!
Christians are presented opportunity to compromise everyday of their lives!
The only protection from compromise is to settle in your mind that you are a man or a woman without a price…
…before the temptation to compromise comes.
If you have a price for your allegiance to Jesus – watch out, Satan will come after you! You can be sure of this – he will get you for less than you think!
√ Time to repent
If you have allowed compromise into your life, your business practice of your faith…
…today is the day to repent and get right with God.
Take His mercy – not His judgement