Rev 2:18-29
In Acts 16 we come across a woman called Lydia who was a seller of purple clothes.
She was the first responder to the Gospel and later she opened her home to Apostle Paul.
The church at Thyatira might have been established because of her faithfulness.
Apostle John sees a significant Christian community existed in Thyatira.
In Verse 18 the Lord Jesus was telling the Church at Thyatira that HE was not the sun God but the SON of God.
Because, the people at Thyatira were familiar with Apollo, the sun god
The Lord’s blazing eyes; burnished bronze feet convey a strong message of a Judge.
HE sees everything and will not tolerate falsehood in the church.
19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
The church had all the ingredients and characteristics of a true church.
The Lord commends the believers for their sincere efforts to hang in there.
20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.
Once again we observe the church at Thyatira was accommodating a false teacher in a leadership position.
So the scholars named this church “a corrupted church”
In spite of their faithful service, the Lord has this against them that they tolerated a woman called Jezebel, a self-appointed prophetess.
The church not only gave a leadership position but also accepted her false teachings.
Because of her false teachings, they were misled into sexual immorality and eating food offered to idols.
Sexual immorality is not the same thing as committing adultery or prostitution.
This act is associated with idol worship where people engage in promiscuity, revelry, licentious behavior and eating food offered to idols.
The believers were deceived to practice such sinful and unbiblical teachings.
“Jezebel taught the church to combine paganism and Christianity. The appeal for this combination was sex. Whenever we combine Christianity with paganism, truth always loses out.”
In verses 21-23, we clearly observe the Lord’s response to their compromise.
The Lord spoke of inescapable punishment for them who did not repent including Jezebel.
Always we are reminded by the Lord that Satan deceives, destroys and leads people into utter darkness and death of the soul in the lake of fire.
An encouraging message from the Lord in verses 24-25.
He declares that HE is going to come again for the believer dead or alive.
In verse 26-28, the Lord is speaking of rewards to those faithful few in Thyatira.
Believers will hold positions of authority in the millennial kingdom of the Lord.
And also grants them an intimate knowledge of ‘the Morning Star’.
One author says “The victor will not only share in the rights of a victor, but he will enter into deep fellowship with Christ Himself when He comes again. Jesus gives special wisdom to conquering Christians about Himself.”
CONCLUSION
The Lord Jesus is declaring in this letter to Thyatira that HE is God and cannot tolerate persons who promote false religion associated with idolatry and immorality.
He is warning the believers against people like Jezebel who leads the faithful astray.
Today there are many Jezebels corrupting the church and unfortunately many Christians are following such wicked leaders.
The ultimate end of them will be eternal darkness, destruction and death.
To those who overcome, HE promised two things.
1. We will be ruling with the LORD JESUS in authority in the 1000 year rule on earth.
2. We will have a close, intimate, exclusive knowledge of the Lord in eternity.
In Acts 16 we come across a woman called Lydia who was a seller of purple clothes.
She was the first responder to the Gospel and later she opened her home to Apostle Paul.
The church at Thyatira might have been established because of her faithfulness.
Apostle John sees a significant Christian community existed in Thyatira.
In Verse 18 the Lord Jesus was telling the Church at Thyatira that HE was not the sun God but the SON of God.
Because, the people at Thyatira were familiar with Apollo, the sun god
The Lord’s blazing eyes; burnished bronze feet convey a strong message of a Judge.
HE sees everything and will not tolerate falsehood in the church.
19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
The church had all the ingredients and characteristics of a true church.
The Lord commends the believers for their sincere efforts to hang in there.
20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.
Once again we observe the church at Thyatira was accommodating a false teacher in a leadership position.
So the scholars named this church “a corrupted church”
In spite of their faithful service, the Lord has this against them that they tolerated a woman called Jezebel, a self-appointed prophetess.
The church not only gave a leadership position but also accepted her false teachings.
Because of her false teachings, they were misled into sexual immorality and eating food offered to idols.
Sexual immorality is not the same thing as committing adultery or prostitution.
This act is associated with idol worship where people engage in promiscuity, revelry, licentious behavior and eating food offered to idols.
The believers were deceived to practice such sinful and unbiblical teachings.
“Jezebel taught the church to combine paganism and Christianity. The appeal for this combination was sex. Whenever we combine Christianity with paganism, truth always loses out.”
In verses 21-23, we clearly observe the Lord’s response to their compromise.
The Lord spoke of inescapable punishment for them who did not repent including Jezebel.
Always we are reminded by the Lord that Satan deceives, destroys and leads people into utter darkness and death of the soul in the lake of fire.
An encouraging message from the Lord in verses 24-25.
He declares that HE is going to come again for the believer dead or alive.
In verse 26-28, the Lord is speaking of rewards to those faithful few in Thyatira.
Believers will hold positions of authority in the millennial kingdom of the Lord.
And also grants them an intimate knowledge of ‘the Morning Star’.
One author says “The victor will not only share in the rights of a victor, but he will enter into deep fellowship with Christ Himself when He comes again. Jesus gives special wisdom to conquering Christians about Himself.”
CONCLUSION
The Lord Jesus is declaring in this letter to Thyatira that HE is God and cannot tolerate persons who promote false religion associated with idolatry and immorality.
He is warning the believers against people like Jezebel who leads the faithful astray.
Today there are many Jezebels corrupting the church and unfortunately many Christians are following such wicked leaders.
The ultimate end of them will be eternal darkness, destruction and death.
To those who overcome, HE promised two things.
1. We will be ruling with the LORD JESUS in authority in the 1000 year rule on earth.
2. We will have a close, intimate, exclusive knowledge of the Lord in eternity.
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