You’ve Got Mail Letter to Thyatira
Revelation 2:18-29 “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 as your works deserve each of you as your works deserve. 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 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.” Revelation 2:18-29
You’ve Got Mail Letter to Thyatira
I. Thyatira --- Jezebel’s city
II. Location of Thyatira
40 miles southeast of Pergamum
III. Trade Guilds
Today, we would call a trade guild a UNION…
Today we would call a trade guild a UNION… TRADE GUILDS: weavers – tanners – bonze cobblers – pottery workers
Thyatira’s most well-known Christian convert was…
Thyatira’s most well-known Christian convert was… …Lydia (mentioned in Acts 16),
Unlike our unions in America, members of a guild worshiped the god of a particular profession.
If you DID NOT BELONG to a Guild you got…
Pergamum was center of emperor worship…
Pergamum was center of emperor worship… Thyatira was the capital for the Guilds…
POPULAR ROMAN GODS Apollo Bacchus Ceres Cupid Diana Faunus Fortune Hebe Janus Juno Jupiter Juntas Lares Libertas Mars Mercury Ops Quirinus Minerva Mars Vesta
Bacchus - God of wine and pleasure Isis - Egyptian goddess of fertility Jupiter - God of the sky Hercules - God of victory commercial activities Mercury - Messenger of the gods of trade Minerva - Goddess of trade guilds Venus - Goddess of love, beauty and prostitutes Quirinus – rape of the Sabine women
Every Guild had a god. For example, your local:
Every Guild had a god. For example, your local: electrician had a Guild god…
Every Guild had a god. For example your local: electrician had a Guild god… plumber had a Guild god…
Every Guild had a god. For example your local: electrician had a Guild god… plumber had a Guild god… friendly telephone company…
Every Guild had a God. For example your local: electrician had a Guild god… plumber had a Guild god… friendly telephone company… Internet service provider...
IV. Real purpose for the Guild gods...
IV. Real purpose for the Guild gods... These guild gods would enable you to drink a little more often.
During the early days of the Empire, it was against Roman law to DRINK INTOXICATATING DRINKS except at the feast of your god.
Marcus Aurelius "meditations." “multiplicity of Roman gods and Roman Guilds is the fact that that's the way we can get drunk.”
You would come to your guild:
You would come to your guild: drink
You would come to your guild: drink eat some meat offered to an idol
You would come to your guild: drink eat some meat offered to an idol drink more wine
then the Guild prostitutes were brought in and sexual immorality would begin…
This normally happened at least once a month.
V. Our Text
Revelation 2:18 “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.”
“omnipresent” all present
“omnipresent” all present “omniscient” all knowing
“omnipresent” all present “omniscient” all knowing “omnipotent” all powerful
“…eyes are like a flame fire and….feet are like burnished bronze.” Revelation 2:18 “…eyes are like a flame fire and….feet are like burnished bronze.”
Christ’s eyes on this Church are able to…
Christ’s eyes on this Church are able to… penetrate and see into the DARKNESS
Christ’s eyes on this Church are able to… PENETRATE and see into the DARKNESS see all the WONDERFUL GOODNESS
Are they in trouble?
Are they in trouble? There's no church of the seven more EXTERNALLY SUPERIOR…
Revelation 2:19 “19 "'I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.
The brothers in Ephesus had left…
The brothers in Ephesus had left… Pergamum had remained faithful even…
The brothers in Ephesus had left… Pergamum had remained faithful even… Thyatira, as far as what they are doing, they surpass…
working church
working church loving church
working church loving church church with faith
working church loving church church with faith known for service
working church loving church church with faith known for service they’re persevering
working church loving church church with faith known for service they’re persevering growing
Now God is not writing this church off as useless…
Now God is not writing this church off as useless… If I had read verse 19 and were looking for a church…
It was everything a congregation of God's people ought…
It was everything a congregation of God's people ought… Revelation 2:20 “20 But I have this against you…,”
revival
revival repentance
revival repentance evaluation
revival repentance evaluation improvement
revival repentance evaluation improvement checking our current urgency for the lost…
Revelation 2:20 “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.”
Old Testament Queen Jezebel was a Phoenician princess who married Ahab.
Old Testament Queen Jezebel was a Phoenician princess who married Ahab. Her father was Ethbaal, king and high priest of the Sidonians.
Baal worshippers, participated in:
Baal worshippers, participated in: sex worship
Baal worshippers, participated in: sex worship fertility rites
religious prostitution Baal worshippers, participated in: sex worship fertility rites religious prostitution
religious prostitution human sacrifice Baal worshippers, participated in: sex worship fertility rites religious prostitution human sacrifice
The emphasis of the Old Testament Jezebel’s teaching was, get in there and enjoy it…
The emphasis of the Old Testament Jezebel’s teaching was, get in there and enjoy it… …a religion of seduction.
1 Kings 16:31-34 “31And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of
the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. 32He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. 33And Ahab made an Asherah.
Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.” 1 Kings 16:31-34
1 Kings 21:25 "25There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited."
Baal worship was all about seduction. Her greatest evil was:
Baal worship was all about seduction. Her greatest evil was: seducing her husband Ahab to provide places for idol worship
promoting sexual immorality as part of worship
promoting sexual immorality as part of worship put all of this in the open, in front of God’s people as a temptation.
So, Jezebel is not only an immoral woman, but influential seductive ruling
Was there really a woman named Jezebel living in Thyatira?
It appears that Jezebel may have been used to personify the teaching that was going on…
VI. What’s the real problem? --Do they believe her?
VI. What’s the real problem? --Do they believe her? --No, they tolerate her…
Revelation 2:21-23 “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 as your works deserve.”
Revelation 2:23 "23…mind and heart”
Revelation 2:23 "23…mind and heart” The word translated heart is the Greek word for kidney, vεφρoυ (nephrou)..
the mind was the center of intelligence…
the mind was the center of intelligence… the kidney was thought of as the center of emotion…
WHEN I JUDGE JEZEBEL and her children, THE CHURCHES will FEEL and KNOW that I SEE ON THE INSIDE…
So again, for whose sake does the church need to repent?
So again, for whose sake does the church need to repent? If the church will repent of tolerating this teaching, maybe Jezebel and her children will repent.
Job 33:19-20 “19 Man is also rebuked with pain on his bed and with continual strife in his bones, 20 so that his life loathes bread,”
Isaiah speaks of bed as suffering – the bed is too…
Isaiah speaks of bed as suffering – the bed is too… Ahaziah, son of Jezebel, by his mother's horrible example is cast into the bed of affliction, and not repenting, dies…
Revelation 2:24, 25 “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 move
over to the other side of the city in Thyatira and established the Northside Church of Christ.
“25 Only hold fast what you have until I come.” Revelation 2:25 “25 Only hold fast what you have until I come.”
This toleration may have worked something like this.
This toleration may have worked something like this. How can you know if it’s really bad or good until…
If you should see me step in quicksand, please don't jump in with me so you can say….
If you should see me step in quicksand, please don't jump in with me so you can say… Stand on solid ground,…
These brothers in Thyatira did not need to empathize with Jezebel, they needed to be intolerant toward her teaching…
Revelation 2:26-28 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
(psalm 2:9), even as I myself have received authority from my Father (psalm 2:9), even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star.”
Revelation 2:26-27, This seems to simply be a promise of rulership of the world because I am overcoming faithfully to the end.
God in a sense rules the world through the church…
God in a sense rules the world through the church… We teach the world about Jesus and they…
“28 And I will give him the morning star.” Revelation 2:28 “28 And I will give him the morning star.”
“Revelation 22:16 “16 I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things, for the churches. I am the Root and the descendant of David, the bright Morning Star.”
So what is it that Jesus is promising the overcomer?
So what is it that Jesus is promising the overcomer? Himself!
When you look up in the sky, the morning star is which star…
When you look up in the sky, the morning star is which star… …the last one you see just before daylight comes…
Christian in Rome just watched his wife…
Christian in Rome just watched his wife… the morning star…
When the world was wrapped up completely in the darkness of sin, Christ burst forth like the morning star.
When the world was wrapped up completely in the darkness of sin, Christ burst forth like the morning star. While exposing evil, HE MADE SURE HIS LIGHT…
After the long night of sin, what Jesus offers is sweet relief…
Revelation 2:29 “29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”