18“To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
20Nevertheless, 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. 21I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
24Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, 25except to hold on to what you have until I come.’
26To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— (Revelation 2)
Thoughts: This is an important passage for the mainline (oldline) denominations in the West in our day.
"His eyes are like blazing fire" God is not blind, or deaf. God sees much more than we think and His eyes see deeply and purely. Perhaps in our day it might be translated "The Son of God who sees more than any MRI or XRay. God sees to the heart of things.
He commends the church for doing a lot and having love and service for others fueled out of a faith that endures.
The Son of God rebukes them for their toleration of sexual immorality and syncretism (symbolized by a common rebuke of giving into food sacrificed to pagan idols). Jezebel was the nick name for this prophetess. Even today some say "She's a real Jezebel." The original Jezebel was a princess of Sidon/Tyre and wife of King Ahab. She brought her Baal fertility worship with her. Fertility worship involved temple prostitutes and sexual immorality. Elijah at one point said he was the only one left of the prophets of the Lord and Jezebel was trying to kill him. The rebuke of a "bed of suffering" may refer to sexually transmitted diseases. Perrhaps some were trying to hide their sexual immorality- but God reminds them that He searches hearts and minds- caring what they do "in private" with the souls and bodies He gives them.
But what stands out even more than all the above is Jesus' advice to the remnant in Thyatira. He does not suggest that they leave and go our and form the Second Church of Thyatira, or go to church in one of the sister cities not far away. His advice is to hold on to what you have until I cojme. It is too easy to leave because we disagree with the sexual immorality and even the spiritual death (of her children) so that we try to escape the sin of this life. The advice to Elijah was not to leave and form a new nation either. To divide and split goes against the command to love even when there is immorality or deadness. The remnant is called to remain and to let the light of hope and faith not go out.
"His eyes are like blazing fire" God is not blind, or deaf. God sees much more than we think and His eyes see deeply and purely. Perhaps in our day it might be translated "The Son of God who sees more than any MRI or XRay. God sees to the heart of things.
He commends the church for doing a lot and having love and service for others fueled out of a faith that endures.
The Son of God rebukes them for their toleration of sexual immorality and syncretism (symbolized by a common rebuke of giving into food sacrificed to pagan idols). Jezebel was the nick name for this prophetess. Even today some say "She's a real Jezebel." The original Jezebel was a princess of Sidon/Tyre and wife of King Ahab. She brought her Baal fertility worship with her. Fertility worship involved temple prostitutes and sexual immorality. Elijah at one point said he was the only one left of the prophets of the Lord and Jezebel was trying to kill him. The rebuke of a "bed of suffering" may refer to sexually transmitted diseases. Perrhaps some were trying to hide their sexual immorality- but God reminds them that He searches hearts and minds- caring what they do "in private" with the souls and bodies He gives them.
But what stands out even more than all the above is Jesus' advice to the remnant in Thyatira. He does not suggest that they leave and go our and form the Second Church of Thyatira, or go to church in one of the sister cities not far away. His advice is to hold on to what you have until I cojme. It is too easy to leave because we disagree with the sexual immorality and even the spiritual death (of her children) so that we try to escape the sin of this life. The advice to Elijah was not to leave and form a new nation either. To divide and split goes against the command to love even when there is immorality or deadness. The remnant is called to remain and to let the light of hope and faith not go out.
Prayer: Lord, let me love the people around me, being faithful to you even if those around me are not.
Thyatira today
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