When I read verses 18-29 I picture a church in turmoil - a good church with good people that has been infiltrated with those who would exploit weakness and draw off believers into immorality. The good people stand by and watch - and mourn. The church in Thyatira was small - and sometimes in a small church, a powerful and wicked person can have a larger effect than in a big fellowship, where their influence is diluted.
The word to this church is "I see what they are doing - I will take care of them - it’s not your job to judge them - you hold on to what you know to be true. I will restore order to your disorder. I will take back the authority of My church."
18 "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ’The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
The eyes of fire signify that Jesus sees all. In verse 23 He says "I am he who searches the mind and heart." The bronze feet symbolize God’s authority and strength to execute judgment. In verse 27 Jesus says "I have received authority from My Father."
19 "’I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.
It’s all here, really. This church was active, loving, faithful - had a servant’s heart and a faithful, patient endurance no matter what they faced. Unlike Ephesus - they hadn’t lost their love, and they were maturing and doing more and more for the Lord. But even in the midst of such goodness, evil can find a foothold.
Patience wasn’t this church’s problem - it was tolerance.
20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
The idea of tolerance here is different that up in verse 2 to Ephesus "you cannot bear with those who are evil." There it means to "endure." Here tolerance means "to allow or permit." So it’s not just that bad things were going on and the people just put up with it hoping the Lord would speak to their hearts. No - it was more assenting than that - more actively supportive than that. Perhaps because they weren’t strong enough or something - but they were allowing a woman - John calls her "Jezebel" to not only teach but to draw people into immorality.
The story of Jezebel is found in 1 Kings. She was a non-Israelite (Sidonian - a Philistine) that brought Baal worship to Israel and dominated her weak husband Ahab. The woman here probably had unusual gifts and was a dynamic person - but she also openly taught that sexual immorality was not a sin - and drew people into it - much like Balaam’s influence on Balak.
Without going into detail - it’s possible that Jezebel (or whatever her name was) encouraged the working people of this church to continue in the guilds that existed in their city which had regular meetings which featured meat sacrificed to idols and sexual shows of some kind - in other words - don’t break from the culture around you even when you know it to be wrong.
Today there is much pressure especially on young people not to break with the culture around them - a culture that says sexual promiscuity is not only okay, it is acceptable and expected. But God’s Word never changes. The Bible is clear that any sex outside of marriage is sin. We need to take care that Christ, not culture, determines our behavior because He will call us to account.
21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve.
God is merciful, even to this phony believer - but you cannot fool God - and you cannot sin and get away with it. But she will not repent. The results for those involved in the sin was sickness, tribulation, and death. Paul said much the same thing to the Corinthians (11:27-32).
The point is that Jesus sees what we do - and the churches need to pay attention - just because they are a church does not mean they can just allow in any kind of doctrine or practice. The goal is always to be like Jesus.
The phrase "I will give to each of you as your works deserve" is interesting. We shouldn’t confuse this to mean that even those of us who are washed in the blood of the Lamb will receive the punishment for our sin - that runs counter to the entire gospel. But surely it says that the enemies of Christ will be brought to justice.
The United Bible Society’s Translator’s Guide to the New Testament provides this alternative construction for verse 23:
Revelation 2:23 I will kill those who follow her teachings, and all the groups of God’s people will know that I am the one who looks into the thoughts of people and knows what they really want. I will punish each one of them according to the sin that he has done. (UBS)
If you think you can hold to a false teaching - one that runs counter to the gospel - and "get away with it" because you have glommed yourself on to the church - you will be horribly mistaken. But even if these are Christians that have gone astray - the text doesn’t actually say Jesus will send them to eternal punishment - but that they will get sick and possibly die. Sometimes God has to take His children home when they continually do some things - that’s up to Him.
24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. 25 Only hold fast what you have until I come.
Jesus makes a distinction between those who "hold" (or "follow") different teachings. The "deep things of Satan" - we really don’t know what this is exactly. The phrase could be rendered: "you have not experienced what her followers call "the deep truths that Satan reveals." Whatever they are - I wouldn’t want anything to do with them.
For some people, there is a draw towards the forbidden - towards the supposed "power" of the enemy. It is very self-gratifying. Don’t be fooled - Satan comes for only three reasons - to steal, kill, or destroy (John 10:10). He doesn’t come to give you power or pleasure or anything good.
So in this case - Jesus is cognitive of the situation and tells them to hold tight to the gospel - don’t compromise any more. Sometimes so much sin has infected a body that it won’t grow, it won’t prosper. When the physical body gets sick all resources are turned towards ridding the body of sickness - and getting back to health again. Some churches are blessed just to survive.
The good news - with Jesus we can survive and win over the worst sinful influence:
26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces (Psalm 2), even as I myself have received authority from my Father.
Young’s Literal Translation has an interesting way of putting verse 26:
Revelation 2:26 and he who is overcoming, and who is keeping unto the end my works, I will give to him authority over the nations, YLT
The wording of the Greek (I know it sounds strange) is: "And he that overcomes, and keeps to the end works my, will I give to him power over the nations."
I think the key is not "My works" but "keep." It means "to guard or hold on to." What was the work of Jesus? To die for our sins that we might die with Him and be raised with Him after He received the punishment for our sin - and then we are transformed into His image.
Jesus is the one who will make us overcome and keep to His works by holding on to His truth. He is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).
And what is the promise to them? That they will help Jesus rule the earth with the same authority as Jesus received from the Father. What a wonderful promise!
28 And I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ ESV
Jesus is called "the bright morning star" (Rev 22:16). The morning star appears just as everything is as dark as it’s going to get - and heralds the coming of day.
When everything is at it’s darkest in our lives - Jesus comes as the herald of the morning - of relief. When the enemy surrounds us, when those even in our midst turn out to be servants of Satan - there is no need to focus on the night - instead focus on the coming dawn.
Conclusions
Jesus is watching - and what we do matters! (verse 1)
I know that’s kind of scary - but we should realize Jesus didn’t just wind up the church like a top and let us go, hoping we don’t topple off the table. He is living, active, and involved. We need to make sure what we do as churches is Biblically sound and brings honor to Jesus. If Jesus was a member of our church - what would He say about what we do!
Jesus held the sinner accountable - but also the church (verse 20)
Tolerance of sin is not a virtue. And we should all be diligent to make sure false doctrine and tolerance of sin is not allowed. Now, that can easily digress into witch hunts and arguments over micro-ethical issues. I would say that if you suspect open sin that is obviously against the revealed Word of God - work with your leadership. Like the Apostle Paul - sometimes we work with the person, sometimes we ask them to leave.
We will get what our works deserve (verse 23)
Our works done for Him count. It’s not what you think, though. Works done on our own power count for basically nothing. Only the things He does through us matter.
1 Corinthians 3:11-14 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble ;
13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. KJV
What does compromise do to the church?
You can have the strongest love and good works and service to the Lord - be a good church for all to see - but be rotting on the inside. Have you ever eaten an apple that has a rotten core? It makes the whole thing taste terrible. Tolerated sin and false doctrine in the midst of a good church will affect the entire church’s witness and ministry. All they could do was "hold on" to Jesus until He restored authority - an authority they had lost in their body. Sometimes you just have to circle the wagons and hold on - it may mean the body shrinks.
What’s the antidote? Be diligent to keep Jezebels out of a place of power.
Romans 16:17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.
In verse 24 Jesus said "I do not lay on you any other burden." What was the burden He did lay on them? I think it was to make sure they no longer tolerated false teachers and seducers in their midst.
What does compromise do to the believer?
As a believer we too can be affected and drawn away by an ungodly culture - and as Paul said in Galatians - if we sow to the flesh we will from the flesh reap corruption - death.
How does Jezebel come in? We give her place, we give her power, we ignore the obvious signs that something is wrong - we compartmentalize.
How do we root it out? Peter tell us (1 Peter 2:11) that we are strangers and pilgrims in this world. John tells us that if we love the world and the things of the world the love of the Father is not in us (1 John 2:15). We live in this world, but we are not of this world. The folks in Thyatira had to make a living - that’s where they came into contact with the guilds that encouraged the kind of sexual and religious debauchery that messed them up. I think the warning is two fold:
1. For the church - watch very carefully how much of the world we allow in. I mean worldly techniques, attitudes, and values. I am frightened for churches that even consider tolerating the promotion of open homosexuality. Some churches openly embrace other religions in order to seem ecumenical and open.
2. For the individual - you represent what Christian values should be like in a worldly workplace - don’t let the worldly values of your workplace represent who you are in Christ.
Finally - realize that Jesus owns the church - Jesus will conquer over sin - and if we stick with Him, He will teach us how to use His authority and then use us for His purposes. If God can’t use our mistakes, He wouldn’t have anything to work with!
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