Revelation 2:18-29; 3:1-6
Now we move on to the Church of Thyatira. This was a small city yet a busy commercial center. It was located on a Roman trade route and apparently the labor unions were the focus of the city. Getting a job was difficult unless you belonged to one of the trade groups.
In verse 18 Jesus sets the stage by signifying His flaming eyes and burning brass feet. In other words, watch out; He is not happy. Proverbs 20:2 states, “the fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion, whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul.” Jesus starts out by acknowledging some of their good attributes, and then He starts in on the issue that He is not happy with.
In verse 20, Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess at this Church is being allowed in leadership in this ministry. They allow her to teach, which in and of itself is not a problem, however, it is what she is teaching that is the problem! The name Jezebel is most likely being used to indicate the character of the woman and not her real name. Knowledge of the Old Testament is needed here to understand the reference to one of Israel’s most evil kings and his wife who was particularly evil and used fornication in the worship of her gods. Her name was Jezebel.
Satan loves to infiltrate the Body of Christ with any type of seduction. In this case he is using the very thing that has caused many a moral failure in the Church and that is a seductive woman who was obviously seducing men with fornication. This is not to say that men are not guilty, however men are particularly vulnerable when it comes to this temptation; unless they become spiritually strong keeping their total focus on the Lord.
Verses 21-23; notes the longsuffering of God here. Jesus said He gave her sufficient time to repent, meaning to stop what she was doing and turn to Him. She evidently ignores Him and continues on. Usually it is the result of the curse that will come upon a disobedient individual, but in this case as in others in the Bible, judgment is pronounced upon her and upon her children as well. It has to be pretty serious for Jesus to get this stirred up.
Verses 24-28; Jesus then turns to those that He says have not gotten mixed up with this woman and her false doctrine, for He knows the heart of man. He says ‘no further judgment is to come upon them and pronounces the reward for overcoming.’
The Church of Sardis is the next Church that was addressed. Sardis was built in a mountainous region, it was a natural citadel. It was the capital of the Lydian Empire and was still an important city during the Roman Empire. This city was known for its lavish arts and crafts.
Chapter 3:1; it is a strange statement Jesus makes here, ‘the Church is known for being lively yet He says they are dead.’ Apparently they gave appearances of being beautifully adorned as many religious institutions have over the centuries; however what is on the outside does not hide from the Lord what is on the inside.
This Church apparently needed revival to raise it up from the dead. We could say the same for much of the Church of our day. There is such a lack of passion and desire for the things of God, we too need revival.
Verse 2; Jesus then says the things that remain need to be stirred up! Otherwise they will die also. He admonishes them to ‘be watchful so they do not lose what little they have.’
Verse 3; Jesus proceeds to warn them that He is coming as a thief; ready or not. That too is a warning to us today that though it seems that things just keep going and going, when we think that His return should have happened already, many have left their first love and are not looking for His coming. Surprise, one day it will happen when we least expect it!
Verse 4; Jesus commends those that are not being lumped in with the rest.
Verse 5; finishes with the reward system, which apparently God is all about. The Judgment seat of Christ can be a joyous occasion or maybe not so much!