Revelation 2:18-29--To the Church in Thyatira

Revelation 2:18-29
English Standard Version

To the Church in Thyatira
18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

19 “‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. 25 Only hold fast what you have until I come. 26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority 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.’

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Jeus addresses this message to the pastor of the church of Thyatira.  He reminds this pastor and church that He is the Son of God who has eyes like a flame of fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.  (Again, these are images from the vision that John received in Chapter 1).

They had great love for God and each other and faith that even exceeded what they first had when they were saved, and they endure patiently as they await the return of the Lord, and they continue in good works.  However, they too have given place to a false teacher (a false prophetess named Jezebel--that should have been a red flag right there).  She is seducing the servants of the Lord into sexual immorality and to eat food that had been sacrificed to idols (several times Jesus mentioned this and this we one of the things decided in Acts 15 that no Christian--Jew or Genile should give themselves to sexual immorality, they should not eat or drink blood, and they should not eat food that was sacrificed to idols so as to not show support for or join themselves with the demons that were being worshiped by these sacrifices).  You may know that the idols are not real, but your neighbor does not know that, and if he sees you buying and eating meat that was sacrificed to idols, he may believe that you are endorsing the idolatry and immoral living associated with the sacrifices to those idols (maybe even thinking that you yourself engage in those practices, and some in this text were being drawn away into such immorality even though they were named as God's people).

God is going to judge her (Jezebel) and all the men who committed adultry with her.  They will all be judged with a debilitating diseasae (maybe an STD?) that will keep them from being able to get out of bed.  He will cause great tribulation to come upon them as a judgment to them and a warning to others who might think that they were right because nothing bad was happening to them.  God will execute this judgment for the sake of His people that they will not be tricked into following her or others like her.  (We still call such people today Jezebels).  The Lord promises to strike down her children as well (these could be physical descendants, but it could also be her followers).  "And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works."

For the rest who have stayed away from this and not learned "the deep things of Satan," the Lord lays no additional burden on them.  They are to continue doing what is right until He returns.  Those who persevere to the end will be given authority over the nations, victory over all their enemies, and an intimate relationship with Jesus Himself that will be their source of Light and Life (just as the sun brings light and life to all the living things now).