A regular patron came to his favorite restaurant to propose to the owner to sell his frog legs. The restaurant owner like the idea of putting frog legs on the menu so he agreed and asked “where can you get so many?’ The “the pond behind my house is overflowing with them. Their croaking is driving me up the wall. The restaurant owner agreed to take as many as his friend could bring. The next week the patron returned with an embarrassed look on his face as he held up two scrawny frogs, ’I was wrong about all the frog legs I could supply. These two were making all that racket. I never knew two frogs could make such a racket’.
And it was one person armed with false doctrine, who caused a major distraction for the church at Thyatira.
The city of Thyatira is located about 40 miles southeast of Pergamos. It is now the location of the modern city Akhisar, which means “white castle” after some of the artifacts that were found there.
It was situated well away from the Mediterranean Sea, on a road which connected Pergamos and Sardis. This was the Imperial Post Road that the Roman army traveled and since it provided safe travel it was used for commerce. While Thyatira may not have been a large city – it was a thriving city, because of its location along trade routes. Thyatira became a prosperous commercial center. It was the predecessor of the famous Turkish bazaar. It was a city filled with merchants and manufacturing: there were carpenters, tanners, weavers, and bronze metal workers. There were merchants in wool, linen, apparel, leatherwork, tanning and bronze crafts.
Lydia, a seller of purple, the woman the Apostle Paul converted to Christianity at Philippi, was from the city of Thyatira (cf. Acts 16:14 ). Lydia was Paul’s first convert in Macedonia and the Continent of Europe, and at her urgent invitation, Paul and his missionary associates were guests at Lydia’s home. Then later, when Paul and Silas were released from one of their imprisonments, they returned to the home of Lydia and were her guests once again. Lydia was probably an overseas agent of a local Thyatiran manufacturer and was probably arranging the sale of purple dyed woolen goods at the time Paul met her. This dark red or “purple” dye was obtained from mixing the Madder root and a small shellfish that created a purple dye. Madder root die was still produced in the area into the 20th Century under the name “Turkey Red”. Some say the national flag represents this red color.
Thyatira had no political significance, it was not a center of Caesar worship like Ephesus, Pergamos, or Smyrna. Yet there were a few notable things about the city from a religious perspective. First, Thyatira was home to a special temple in honor of Apollo. Apollo Tyrimnus was known as the Sun god and he was supposedly the son of the primary god of Greek mythology Zeus. Apollo Tyrimnus’ image was on their coins. Apollo was a warrior his symbol was the axe and was regarded as the patron of the guilds and was honored at their social gatherings. By using the title, Son of God, in verse 18, Jesus was setting Himself against Apollo as the only rightful Son of the true and living God.
Secondly, Thyatira possessed a fortune telling shrine presided over by a female oracle called the Sambathe, a Sybil or prophetess.
Third, while religious persecution was not an issue in Thyatira, the city had a “laissez faire” attitude; “live and let live. Yet there was a type of economic persecution that came as a result of avoiding the trade guilds. These guilds represented different trades in the city but they were much more than that, the influence of guilds ruled the city.
The guilds often held common meals, which often happened in the temple and would begin and end with a formal sacrifice to the various gods. The meat served during the meals would have been meat offered to one god or another. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the meals often became an excuse for excess and often degenerated into immorality.
Jesus’ Commendation to Thyatira was that this church managed this outside pressure from their culture.
Revelation 2:18-19 18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write, ‘These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass: 19 “I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first.”
The Church at Thyatira was like most churches, for the most part, full of good, well-meaning people. In fact, Jesus tells them that they are a group of loving people who are doing more and more good works.
“ ‘I know your works, your love and faith and service, and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.” They are known to Jesus because of the love in their faith and service.
Faith wasn’t their problem. Ministry wasn’t their problem. Perseverance wasn’t their problem. Their problem was they were tolerating false teaching.
In verse 18 as Jesus addresses the church of Thyatira He announces that He is the Son of God, described as having eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass: These are anthropomorphic descriptions of God. Anthropomorphic means to attribute human values or behavior attributed to GOD.
According to the Bible God is a Spirit! John 4:24. However God became flesh. God in the flesh is called the Son! “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14. This is vital information to read along with this text! Very much the opposite of Apollo son of the Greek myth Zeus.
Back in our text, eyes like a flame of fire are an image of Jesus who sees all, and can penetrate through people and their motives. As Thyatira was noted for brass guilds and craftsman that made Roman military hardware. The fine brass feet suggest firmness and stability and might. Often when people saw the shiny brass of a Roman army it was there for inflicting judgment or punishment for failure to submit to Caesar. In these word pictures, Jesus was coming as a perfect and pure judge with flaming eyes and blazing brass feet to renounce those who oppose Him.
Jesus’ Correction to Thyatira
Revelation 2:20-21 “Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21 And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.”
Jesus told them that all their service, love and faith was being overshadowed by the presence of a false teacher named Jezebel.
There are three characteristics of this woman in the church at Thyatira.
- She called herself a “prophetess” which means she claimed to speak for God. In doing so, she used this to influence the church to compromise in areas of their holiness and led them into sin. When sin entered this church, it wasn’t repented of and the church tolerated it.
- The second characteristic of Jezebel was that she was unwilling to repent. It’s fascinating that God is so merciful, even to this person – for without repentance no one will sin and get away with it. And she shunned God’s mercy and did not repent.
- The other characteristic of this woman was that her teaching led others to commit sexual immorality. This activity took place in their culture and now it is inside the church. She led some people to compromise their relationships.
Christians who joined in with the immoral culture had evidently forgotten that Jesus is Holy and demands His people to be holy (1 Peter 1:16). The Bible commands the Christian to “know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God” (1 Thessalonians 4:4–5).
Jesus’ concern for this church was that the message of Jezebel destroys life and the church should only be about the message of the Gospel that brings life.
Revelation 2:22-23 22 “Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. 23 I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.”
The results for those involved in immoral sin was sickness, tribulation, and eventually death.
The phrase “I will give to each of you as your works deserve ” is interesting. In context, we must not confuse this to mean those of us who are washed in the blood of the Lamb will receive eternal punishment for our sin – that runs counter to the gospel. But it surely means that a believer will suffer the consequences of their sin.
The church of Thyatira was a place of a spiritual infection. The term “sickbed” means a pestilence of illness. Not only to her but to those who had committed themselves to Jezebel’s doctrines.
A practical application. It’s fascinating that God’s mercy causes people to think that they can hold up against God and “get away with sin.” This passage tells us that the Christians that went astray – will get sick and face great tribulation and even die. The Bible has passages that tell us, sometimes God takes His children home when they sin. (1 Corinthians 11:30, Acts 5)
The apostle James wrote to believers in chapter 4 verse 4 “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”
Throughout the New Testament, we are urged to remain faithful to the simple truths and moral standards of the gospel.
Jesus’ Command to the Church:
Revelation 2:24-25 “Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden. 25 But hold fast what you have till I come.”
There was a group of people in the Thyatira church who were not involved in this immoral sin. And look what Jesus said to that group of people. He said, “Hold fast till I come.” Persevere. Be faithful. This burden or command to follow is for our best.
Remember back in verse 20, this woman called herself a Prophetess; that means she claimed that her teaching was directly from God, but it was not. That means she taught with false authority and she seduced believers and led many people away from living purely for God.
Jesus made a distinction between those who “hold” (or “follow”) another gospel. He calls it the “depths of Satan” – we really don’t know what this is exactly. Whatever this is – Believers should be careful to follow God’s written word and not someone who says they speak for God.
Jesus’ Commitment to the Church:
Revelation 2:26-27. 26 And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—27‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’— as I also have received from My Father;”
The emphasis of the Greek text in verse 26 is interesting: The key is not on “My works” but on “who keeps.” It means “to guard that message.” What are the works of Jesus that we hold onto? The first, work of Jesus was that He once for all died for all our sin. The second work is that He lives in our hearts to continually sanctify us and transform each of us into His image. That gospel message was contrary to Jezebel’s teaching which was more about fulfilling personal lusts and obtaining power.
Jesus is the one who made us overcomers and we are to 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 those who do? That one day all who hold the truth of Jesus works, will rule with Jesus over the nations. Real, authentic power from Jesus! Very unlike the false promises of false prophets.
And
Revelation 2:28-29. 28“and I will give them the morning star. 29 everyone who has an ear, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’
The morning star appears just as everything is as dark as it’s going to get – and heralds the coming of day.
Jesus is called “the bright morning star” in Revelation 22:16: “I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” Jesus is promising to give Himself, the Light who shines brightly to cast away all darkness, as the most precious gift to His faithful people. Even in this life, Christians are empowered by Christ to “shine as lights in the world,” as “children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, … holding fast to the word of life” (Philippians 2:15–16)
Conclusions
The most important message of a church is to affirm that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord. That is the message of the church and that is what Jesus was judging the church at Thyatira for corrupting. They allowed Jezebel to teach against the truth and seduce people in to eternal destruction.
The point is that Jesus is watching – and what doctrine we hold onto matters! (verse 2:1)
Jesus didn’t just wind up the church like a top and let it go, hoping the church doesn’t topple off the table. He is living, active, and involved. A Church must make sure what we do as a church is truth, based on the Bible.
Some practical applications from this context:
- Jesus will hold sinners accountable – and He also holds the church accountable. (verse 20)
An individual believer represents Jesus Christ and we can’t let false teaching represent who we are in Christ.
- Toleration of false doctrine will affect the entire church’s witness and ministry. (verse 20) We should not tolerate or affirm a false prophet or participate with them and allow their teaching to be heard.
- People will get what their works deserve. Compromise affects an individual believer and other people. (verse 23)
- Be diligent to keep the truth as our main focus. (verse 24)
We don’t need approval from the world or our community. Jesus Christ is our master and Lord.