Θυάτειρα,
ων, τά
The
Letter to Thyatira
The
Corrupt Church
Revelation
2:18-29
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. 20 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. 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.
24 “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. 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; 28 and
I will give him the morning star.
29 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit says to the churches.” ’
The longest letter, to the smallest town.
“And to
the angel (aggelos;
messenger, pastor) of the church in
Thyatira write
Thyatira was a bump in the road on
the way to Pergamos. A bump filled with Roman Soldiers, stationed to stop
marauders from pillaging the wealthy elites of Pergamos.
Soldiers had to eat, sleep, live.
Thus, the town of Thyatira.
This blue-collar town was made up of
hard workers and hardened soldiers. Disputes were settled with fists; unlike
the soft handed elites, just up the road, in Pergamos. But those soft handed,
robe wearing, elites, were the reason for Thyatira to exist.
Thyatira hammered out helmets for
soldiers, cured and carved leather, became somewhat famous for their madder
root, used to dye fabrics, purple. To this day it is still used—the color is
called, Turkey Red.
It’s that fabric trade that brought
Lydia, to Philippi; where she met Paul, and more importantly, where she met
Jesus. The Church in Thyatira may owe it’s beginning to Lydia (Acts 16:11-15).
The military presence may’ve rubbed
off on the industrial zone, because they developed trade guilds; we call them
labor unions. Those guilds, had their mascot, their god. Along with that came
the rituals, members were expected to follow. Today we have the good ol’ boy’s
club, initiation and membership fees, like buying rounds at the local pub.
Then, it was bowing to their patron god. To not do so, was to be ostracized, shunned,
banned, canceled…unemployed.
‘These things says the
Son of God,
The phrase used in the opening
description of Jesus is, “Son of Man” (Revelation 1:12). However, here we see,
“Son of God,” depicting, undoubted deity, rather than, humanity. The only time
used in Revelation.
Thyatira worshipped Apollo; who was
considered to be the son of god, since in mythology he was the son of Zeus.
Jesus told them straight out of the gate, I AM The Son of God.
who has eyes
like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass:
Don’t you just love how Jesus speaks
our language? To a farming community He speaks of sowing and reaping. To
fishermen, He speaks of becoming fishers of men. To Thyatira, He speaks of a
refiner’s fire.
Flames. Fire. This was a familiar
picture to Thyatira. Penetrating, purging and purifying would come to mind as
they related this description to the local metal refiners.
Factories and refineries are on the
early days of my resume. I think, maybe, the ringing in my left ear, came from
there. Flames of fire, are burned into my memory—thank God, not my future. If a
day went by, that I didn’t get burned, it just meant, it was my day off. The
thing is, no matter what you wore, no matter how thick the gloves, that intense
heat, that molten-material—would penetrate, burn, straight through anything.
Eyes like a
flame of fire,
are Eyes that penetrate, straight through the manipulative motives of the mind
and straight to the heart of the matter.
Hebrews says
it like this:
For
the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and
marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Nothing in
all creation is hidden from God's sight; everything is uncovered and
exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:12-13
Later in the letter, (verse 23)
explains that all the churches shall know that I am He who searches
the minds and hearts.
But they won’t
know that He searches, until He purges. Justice isn’t served, until evil
is purged.
His
feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace (Revelation 1:15).
Fine Brass (Greek: chalkolibanon; fine copper, burnished bronze
or, precious metal, even more precious than gold).
Malachi 3:3 tells us, He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will
purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver.
In the Refiner’s fire, the dross,
the impurities, (the wood, hay, and stubble, flesh, fear, selfishness…etc.), are
burned off. The Refiner watches, until He can see His reflection
in the precious metal. Then, He knows, it’s pure and fit for The Master’s use.
The feet like fine brass,
refined in the fire, speak of the standing and walking out of justice, with
strength and purity; steadfast and secure.
19 “I know your works, love, service, faith, and
your patience; and as for your works, the last are more
than the first.
He knows. Because He wants to. Not
just head knowledge, but personal, intimate. He knows everything. And
still loves us.
The list of works, are all affirmations.
Thumbs up. They’re fruits of the Spirit. And, even getting better. Well done
20 Nevertheless I have a few things against
you,
Notice the pattern. Jesus offers
encouragement at first, not to manipulate, but to reveal His commitment, His
love, His care.
But He doesn’t stop there. He loves
us just as we are—but too much to leave us that way. He doesn’t shy away from
the hard conversation. The ones that hurt. That burn. But they are the ones
that penetrate, purge, purify, strengthen.
Despise not the chastening of the
Lord, nor detest His correction; for whom the Lord loves, He corrects, just as
a father the son, in whom he delights. Proverbs
3:11-12.
Are we willing to receive
correction, or do we get offended?
Are we willing to love enough, to
have the hard conversation?
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
Have you noticed a numbing toward
evil with each letter?
The first letter, to Ephesus, says
they hated evil. Next, Smyrna was persecuted by it, but they were
holding on. Then Pergamos, compromised and just put up with it. Now, here
in Thyatira, they actually allow evil, to participate, to teach, to
seduce.
Evil kills our babies, steals
our liberty, destroys our children—while some mentally challenged,
spiritually perverted, guy, with a beard, in a skirt, and heels; reads about
“love” to our children…and we, allow it.
What do you allow, that if
Jesus were standing right there in the flesh, watching, you wouldn’t?
Remember, Jesus taught that at the
end of the age, He’d separate the sheep from the goats. He will invite the
sheep to inherit His kingdom, for what they did. But the goats, He will
send to eternal fire, for what they didn’t.
The blood of the wicked will be on
the hands of the watchman, who fails to sound the alarm. Ezekiel 3:16-21,
Ezekiel 33:1-20.
This haunts me.
21 And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. 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,
This powerful passage is multi-dimensional;
so, we’ll look at it from different angles.
Jesus pronounces judgement on three
different people in these three verses. Jezebel, those who commit adultery with
her, and her children.
Additionally, in this short passage,
Jesus captures three end time eras. The Church age in which we now live is, time to repent. Those who
refuse, will be cast into great tribulation. And
those who reject Him, into the eternal lake of fire, the second death.
Notice how many times He uses the
word, repent. If Jesus says something once, it’s important. Twice, scoot
to the edge of your seat and pay attention. Thrice, stand up, get close, take
notes, it’s vital.
From that day to this, Jesus has
patiently held open the door of repentance. 2 Peter 3:8-10
says it something like this: The Lord is
not slow, but patient, not willing that any should perish, but that all would repent.
Recently, for the first time in
HIStory, the entire world echoed the same sentiment. “Wash your hands!” That is
Bible-speak for, “Repent.” Those with ears, heard that still, small, Voice,
echoing, Draw nigh to God,
and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify
your hearts, ye double minded (James 4:8).
The door of repentance won’t be open forever. Noah’s door may have been open for a hundred
years, but one day, it was closed, and the wrath began.
Hear what the Spirit, says to the
Church.
As we stand here in the threshold of
two thousand years, from when Jesus, after two days, crossed the threshold from
death, to Life… The Bible and the headlines are looking more and more alike. We
can almost hear the trumpet. Soon, perhaps at the end of your next blink,
before your next breath, we’ll see His face.
Oh, by the way, that scripture above,
from 2 Peter, starts by
saying a day is as a thousand years, and ends talking about the day of the Lord,
coming like a thief in the night.
The King is coming.
Notice the other word that Jesus
repeated: I. I gave. I will cast. I will kill.
He’s no longer waiting, no longer
telling the Church, do this, do that. He has sprung into action, with eyes
of fire and feet of brass.
I gave her time to repent, but she refused, so, I will cast, her into a
sickbed. She lusted in bed, so I’ll give her a bed; a bed of affliction, a sickbed,
that will become her deathbed. And her children, those who’ve followed her
wicked ways, who’ve become her protégés; I will kill them with death.
NOTE: Do you think, “I
will kill them with death” is bad grammar? A bit redundant? After
all, kill, already implies death. So why add the second, death?
Jesus doesn’t make mistakes. He
added the second death, because that’s what He was talking about, the second
death.
Jezebel and her children will be cast into the
lake of fire; which is the second death.
Here’s a list of her children:
I will cast, I will kill; those are hard words to hear with American ears; accustomed
to only hearing, about gentle Jesus, meek and mild.
PAY ATTENTION: If this causes you
fear, your heart isn’t right with Jesus. God is love (1 John 4:16) and
if He abides in you, Love casts
out fear (1 John 4:18). The enemy of your soul, knows this. He knows the cowardly,
are cast into the lake of fire along with the rest of the scoundrels mentioned in
Revelation 21:8. He knows if you’re filled with fear, you’re not filled
with God or Love, or Faith, or Fight…which is what he fears.
That is the hidden agenda, vaccinate
the world with fear; because the cowardly, comply.
We, the Ecclesia, must boldly say,
come what may, I will obey, The Lord God Almighty. Come hell or high water, if
I perish, I perish, but I will not walk in fear.
Back to our letter to Thyatira. I will cast those who commit adultery with
her into great tribulation, unless they repent. These are the deceived,
they’ve sinned, they are headed for great tribulation and hell. However,
they still have a sliver of hope, but only if they repent. These are those we
snatch from the very jaws of hell.
"Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel
bell; I want to run a rescue shop, within a yard of hell" C.T. Studd.
Lord Jesus, help us be hell
snatchers, not allowing any You’ve given us, to enter into that place.
And
do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear
Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew
10:28.
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.
I don’t know about you, but I’m glad
to know, justice is served. I’m tired of evil simply being exposed, but never
dealt with. Rest assured, a reckoning is coming, and all will know, His eyes
of fire, searches hearts and minds, divides asunder, soul and spirit,
and pierces the dross, the impurity, iniquity, wood, hay and stubble.
All will know Justice is served,
when evil is purged.
24 “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,
Gnostics called their doctrine, the
depth of God. Jesus calls it, the depth of satan.They
thought they reached some higher plane of understanding. This came from
lucifer, who thought he could ascend above God.
I will put on you
no other burden. 25 But hold fast what you have till
I come. (Rapture). 26 And he who overcomes, and
keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the
nations— (millennium)
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;
Here
Jesus quotes from Psalm 2:9. The short twelve verse chapter, gives a snapshot
of the time when the nations gather, plan and rage against the Lord, the Lord’s
laughter at the futility of their effort, the battle of Armageddon and His ultimate
rule over the nations during the millennium.
Today,
just across Israel’s border, Russia and her allies, are building up troops and
military might, Iran is doing the same, they are key players in this battle
against the Lord. They will come against Israel, against The Lord, and He will dash
them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.
28 and I will give him the morning star.
If you look toward the east about
four or so in the morning, you can see it. At the darkest, coldest, longest,
part of the night, the morning star rises; trumpeting the coming of…The Son.
29 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit says to the churches.” ’
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