The Church in Thyatira

Thyatira was smaller than Pergamum and 40 miles southeast, but it too was another city in the Roman province of Asia, in the west of what is now Asiatic Turkey. It passed under Roman rule in 133 B.C. and was an important point in the Roman road system, for it lay on the road from Pergamum to Laodicea.

It was also an important center of manufacture; dyeing, garment making, pottery and brass-working are among the trades known to have existed there. Lydia, the “seller of purple” whom Paul met at Philippi (Acts 16:14), was probably the overseas agent of a manufacturer; she may have been arranging the sale of dyed woolen goods which were known simply by the name of the dye.

Because of its industry, the city was known for its trade guilds, or organized groups and associations for potters, tanners, dyers and bronze workers. It was particularly known for its wool and dying industry as illustrated in the life of Lydia, a distributor of the purple garments for which this city was famous (Acts 16:14). These guilds created a tremendous problem because it was extremely hard for a merchant to pursue his or her trade without belonging to one of these guilds. To belong to these guilds put a Christian in a compromising position because of the pressure from the guilds to participate in their pagan, idolatrous feasts.

Jesus told John to write to the church in Thyatira, “The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze. I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first” (Revelation 2:18-19).

This description of Jesus Christ is similar to that in 1:13-15, but here He is called the Son of God rather than the Son of Man. This description of Jesus Christ stresses His authority in discipline and judgment as the Son of God, an expression found only here in the book, and the penetrating power of His knowledge along with the swiftness of His judgment. Thyatira was compromising the Word of God and allowing a false authority to supersede the authority of Jesus Christ.

“The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze” has infinite knowledge of all the affairs of His people, this church is commended for its works and service, and for the fact this had even increased. However, a contrast has a special lesson for us. Ephesus had a godly zeal for sound doctrine and holiness (2:12), but she was lacking in devotion and love to Christ. Thyatira had a definite and even greater ministry of service and endurance, one that seemed to be motivated by faith and love (v 19), but Thyatira lacked on the side of zeal for sound doctrine, moral purity, holiness of life, and zeal against false teaching and practice. Obviously, the church needs to have both, it needs a balance or it must eventually lose its testimony and capacity for ministry.

“The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze” strongly rebuked the church in Thyatira for tolerating a false prophetess with her teaching which promoted immorality and idolatry (Revelation 2:20). She was evidently teaching that a believer’s freedom in Christ allowed them to not only belong to the trade guilds, but to participate in the immoral and idolatrous feasts that very often included cultic prostitution.

Jezebel refers to a literal woman who falsely claimed prophetic powers and who had somehow taken a position of leadership, perhaps because of her unusual gifts. Her actual name was probably not Jezebel, but she was a virtual Jezebel in her actions (1 Kings 16:31-33; 2 Kings 9:30-37). The Jezebel of the Old Testament enticed God’s servants to abandon their loyalty to the Lord and to participate in her idolatrous practices, so this woman of Thyatira was enticing Christians to abandon their loyalty to Christ and a separated life. Her teaching was probably similar to that of the Nicolaitans.

The fact she was called Jezebel suggests she not only was a false prophetess, but an unbeliever. In His grace, the Lord gave her time to repent (Revelation 2:21). The issue here then was a call to repent in the sense of changing her mind about her present evil course and condition and about her need of Christ so that she would turn to Him in faith.

Verse 22 refers to her judgment for failure to repent. While this refers to a literal judgment God would bring upon this woman, it is also a prediction of the Lord’s judgment on those churches that follow her adulterous ways.

The “Bed of sickness” is a contrast between her luxurious and licentious couch of immorality and the pain of God’s divine judgment that awaited her for her rebellion, and “those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation” refers to the severe judgment God would bring on her followers.

The adultery mentioned here includes both spiritual adultery, idolatry, and physical adultery, fornication. The fact adultery constitutes a violation of the marriage vow could indicate that some of those who had been seduced by this Jezebel’s teaching were believers, those who had been betrothed to Christ as His bride.

“The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze” tells the angel of the church in Thyatira, “unless they repent of her deeds” He will send them into great tribulation. This stresses the fact that their deeds of immorality were really the product of her teaching, example, and error. It reminds us of what a great responsibility those in places of leadership have (Luke 6:40; James 3:1), but also of how we need to be sure that the lives and teaching of our leaders truly line up with the Word of God.

“The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze” tells the angel of the church in Thyatira, He will kill Jezebel’s children with pestilence (v 23). In verse 24, the Lord addresses the faithful remnant, those who would not tolerate her and who rejected both her doctrine and her practice. In verse 23, He speaks about those who followed her.

Some see these as unbelievers, mere professing Christians who followed her doctrine and practice, these are the ones referred to as her children.

Others see these to be true believers, people who had put their faith in Christ, but who had been seduced by this woman’s trickery, and who refused to listen to the truth on this matter and repent of their actions. They tolerated her (v 20). In other words, they rejected her teaching, refused to follow her, and refused to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols. However, contrary to the believers in Ephesus, they refused to deal with her through church discipline. What she was teaching was clearly license versus true Christian liberty. This teaching was contrary to Scripture, but they tolerated her presence rather than deal with the problem.

What did Jesus say, “I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds” (Revelation 2:23). In verse 24, Jesus said, “to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them, I place no other burden on you” (v 24). “The deep things of Satan” most likely refers to the false doctrine being taught. They taught moral evil and that its experience was necessary to truly appreciate good. Note the words “as they call them.” They were evidently teaching license as good and bragging about the debts of their sin. No other burden, all they were to do was reject Jezebel, and avoid immorality and idolatry.

In verse 25 the words, “what you have, hold fast until I come,” warns against the universal principle that things always tend to degenerate rather regenerate. It is much like the second law of thermodynamics that simply put says; life goes from order to disorder and not vice versa. Things naturally go downhill unless there is great effort against those forces that, like gravity, tend to pull us downward. So there is always the need to cling to the Lord and hold tightly through a close walk with Him in the Word, regardless of the many blessing we possess in Christ and where we are in our spiritual journey, babe in Christ or mature (1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Philippians . 3:12-14).

Verse 26 speaks of the promises and assurances to the overcomers.

“The overcomers,” refers to those believers who overcome the specific challenges of these verses and are rewarded for their faithfulness. This is suggested by the exhortation to hold fast in verse 25 and by the words, “who keeps My deeds until the end,” in verse 26, “My deeds” refers to Christ’s way of life. To keep Christ’s deeds means to experience Christ’s life and character in contrast to Jezebel’s works. Keeping His deeds is a result of overcoming through the walk of faith and daily fellowship or the abiding life. We must remember that Christ is not calling us to overcome in our own strength, which is really weakness, but to appropriate His strength and power through the knowledge of the Word of God and by faith. Overcoming is also the basis for special rewards like positions of authority and responsibility the Lord promises believers in the millennial kingdom.

Verse 27, after mentioning authority over the nations, the Lord Jesus immediately promises He will return, rule, and reign to remind the overcomers that they will share in all of this with Him at Second Advent to earth.

The Morning Star (Revelation 2:28).

In Revelation 22:16 the Morning Star is a reference to Jesus. In Revelation 2:28 the context suggests that in some way it relates to the overcomers and their reward in ruling with the Savior.

The Lord is promising the overcomers that they will share His royalty and splendor as the morning star. First, the Lord said that the overcomers would be given a dominion like His own, “as I have received authority from My Father” (Revelation 2:27), and so here in 2:28, the overcomers will be given a rule and splendor like that of the Lord’s. In this promise, the Lord promises a dominion and a splendor just like His own.

Verse 29 again repeats the familiar call to hear, a call that goes beyond this one church to all the churches. Only here as in all the rest of the messages, the call to hear follows the promises to the overcomers whereas in the previous three letters, it precedes it. Again, we see the personal and loving concern of the Spirit of God for His people and His desire that we all respond in faith and obedience.