Revelation 2:18-29

¹⁸ And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; ¹⁹ I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. ²⁰ Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. ²¹ And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.²² Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. ²³ And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. ²⁴ But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. ²⁵ But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. ²⁶ And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: ²⁷ And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. ²⁸ And I will give him the morning star. ²⁹ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

What happens to a church or Christian when compromise is allowed to continue without repentance? As we move from Pergamum to Thyatira in our series on the seven churches of Revelation 2-3, we find our answer to that question. The church at Pergamum had a few of its members embracing and participating in false doctrine, sin, and error. It had compromise. The church at Thyatira, on the other hand, is known for something worse. They had given someone a platform within their congregation who had gained a sizable following and was teaching and embracing false doctrine and sin. If compromise among believers goes unchecked, this is where it leads; to the outright tolerance of rebellion against God’s Word. Tolerance is the attitude of the day. In our culture, it seems to be the highest of virtues, but if we look at what the Bible teaches, we will find that tolerance is actually high treason against God. Chuck Swindoll wrote, “A culture that tolerates evil calls disagreement ‘phobia.’ Taking a stand is considered hate. Conviction is seen as bigoted fanaticism. Centuries-old Christian doctrine is regarded as discrimination. As in many doctrinally weak churches today, this mindset also prevailed in the ancient church of Thyatira.” From the church of Thyatira this week we will learn three principles we must consider when dealing with tolerance.

First, we must remember that Jesus knows our hearts. Only about 40 miles from Pergamum stood the northernmost city of the seven churches of Asia Minor in Revelation 2-3. The city of Thyatira was a city known for being a prosperous commercial center under the peace brought from Roman rule. Its economic success came from the various trade guilds that associated with the worship of various Greco-Roman gods. Industries such as wool and died goods could only be participated in if one was a member of the trade guild associated with it. Membership in these guilds required participation in various feasts and idolatrous practices associated with the worship of the emperor and false gods. Therefore, a Christian earning a living was a very difficult thing. The church there was likely founded by Lydia, whom Paul led to Christ in Acts 16 in Philippi. She sold purple died fabrics and was from Thyatira. It is to that church that Jesus would send the longest of the seven letters. He identified Himself as the One with “eyes like unto a flame of fire, and His feet” being described as “fine brass.” Both the flaming eyes and glowing bronze feet are descriptions pulled from His appearance in Revelation 1 and describe Christ’s perfect, omniscient judgment. He sees all, knows all, and holds His people as well as the lost world accountable. To a church dealing with pressure from the culture around them, He once again said, “I know thy works.” Before diving into their compromise and tolerance, He commends them for their “charity” (love), “service,” “faith,” and “patience” (endurance). They were a church that demonstrated love, faithful service, commitment to Christ, and they persisted and endured in those things through hardship. In addition, He knew their “works” of which He said “the last to be more than the first.” Not only was this church faithful in all of those ways, but they demonstrated increasing commitment in each area. It is an important reminder by way of example that we are always either progressing or digressing in our Christian Walk. There is no such thing as staying still. Our goal should not be to serve faithfully for a while and then abandon the task for someone else. It should be to always faithfully endure in our service and increase in commitment. Jesus looks at our hearts and He knows what we are doing and why we are doing it. As we face tolerance and compromise, the first thing we must remember is that despite what everyone else may think of us, He knows our hearts.

Next, we must remember that Jesus calls us to repentance. In verses 20-24, He addressed the “few things” that He had against the church at Thyatira. They tolerated (“sufferest”) a false teacher that Jesus calls by the name Jezebel. Jezebel was not likely her real name, but a name He used because of its clear connections to a wicked woman in the Old Testament. Jezebel is found in 1 Kings as the wife of King Ahab of the Northern Kingdom, one of the most wicked kings that Israel would ever see (1 Kings 16:28-34). Because of her husband’s weak leadership, she brought idol worship (the worship of Baal and Asherah) into the Northern Kingdom in an unprecedented way and persecuted God’s prophets. She and her husband were continually confronted by the prophet Elijah through whom God proved Baal to be a false god on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18. Like Jezebel of the Old Testament, this woman in Thyatira had gained a platform and was leading God’s people into false doctrine and idolatry. She essentially taught that it was okay for Christians to compromise with the culture around them by being Christian and participating in the idolatry and immorality of the trade guilds. The concept of “the depths of Satan” (v. 24) is probably her teaching that believers could go into the “deep things” of the devil (i.e. be surrounded by sin) and not be harmed by it. Through her false teaching, she essentially led a sizable group within the church into participating in outright rebellion against God. Jesus had given her time to repent and she had refused so He promised that judgment was coming upon her and discipline upon her followers. The church was under indictment for tolerating the whole treasonous situation. There are churches across the world that teach such a compromised form of Christianity. They teach that we can accommodate, participate with, or condone the sins of our culture and claim allegiance to Christ at the same time. We cannot. Where compromise is found, we must repent, else we find ourselves on the wrong side, in opposition to the kingdom of God.

Lastly, we must remember that Jesus rewards our faithfulness. Our problem with compromise and tolerance often resides in our commitment to people and what they want over God and what He wants. We are called to be committed to other people, both our brothers and sisters in the body of Christ and reaching those in the lost world with the gospel. However, our commitments and love for others must flow out of our commitment and love for Christ first. There was a group of faithful people within the church who had not compromised in the error of Jezebel. To them, Jesus simply said “hold fast till I come” (v. 25). The promise to the overcomers in this letter was “power over the nations” and taking part in Christ’s Messianic rule (v. 26-27). The “morning star” that is promised in verse 28 is Christ Himself (Revelation 22:16). What Jezebel promised those in Thyatira was the ability to compromise faith in Christ and possess the riches of the world by taking part in the trade guilds and idolatry that came with them. What Jesus promised believers here is Himself and the world itself. We are “joint-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:16). Paul told the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 3:21-23, “Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are your’s; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are your’s; And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.” Why compromise now for the temporary pleasures of this world and sin for a season (Hebrews 11:24-26)? He rewards our faithfulness.

Tolerating sin is treason against God. Tolerating treason makes us guilty of treason ourselves. In Romans 1, the Apostle Paul issued an indictment against the lost world for its rebellion against God as Creator. In that rebellion, God has judged the lost world by giving it over to all forms of sin and reprobate ways. Paul condemned, not only those who participate in the sins themselves, but those who approve of them when he wrote, “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them” (Romans 1:32). Christ knows our hearts, calls us to repentance, and will reward faithfulness. Where do we stand? Where will we be found in an age of deception, sin, and compromise? There is no middle ground (Matthew 12:30).