1. The Seven Churches of Asia
The Church At Thyatira

2. Church at Ephesus Church at Ephesus
Good: They Labored, had Patience, tested false Apostles, couldn’t bear them that were Evil and they had not fainted
Bad: They had left their first love
Commanded: Repent or their candlestick would be removed. They would no longer be considered a church which belonged to Christ.

3. Church at Smyrna Church at Smyrna
Good: Although they were in physical tribulation and poverty, they were rich spiritually
Bad: Nothing
Commanded: Although their persecution was about to worsen, they were commanded not to fear and to be faithful unto death

4. Church at Pergamos Church at Pergamos
Good: In spite of the wickedness that surrounded them in that city, they were holding fast to Jesus’ name and had not denied His faith, even after Antipas had been martyred among them
Bad: The false doctrine of the Nicolatians, that Jesus hated, was being taught among them for the sake of gain
Commanded: To Repent or Jesus would fight against them

5. The Church at Thyatira
The city of Thyatira was a wealthy city. Probably not to different from many others of its day
It was considered a “holy” city by some because of some of the temples that were located there
It may have been most notable for the great number of craftsman guilds there from Thyatira
Archeology has uncovered more trade guilds in Thyatira than any other ancient city

6. The Church at Thyatira
A guild was an association of craftsmen from a particular industry.
Ancient inscriptions have been found mentioning many of these guilds.
According to W.M. Ramsay some of the guilds mentioned are “wool-workers, linen-workers, makers of outer garments, dyers, leather-workers, tanners, potters, bakers, slave dealers and bronze-smiths”

7. The Church at Thyatira
Note that one of the guilds mentioned was the dyers guild.
Their main work was to dye cloth different colors. Purple being one of their most important
Lydia mentioned in Acts 16:14 was a seller of purple from Thyatira
These guilds were evidently closely tied to the idolatrous worship that went on in the city, which naturally made them opposed to Christianity.

8. The Church at Thyatira
Do we remember the story of Demetrius the silversmith in Ephesus?
He made silver shrines for the goddess Diana.
He stirred up the others of his craft into a riot against Paul and other Christians.
There were probably similar situations there in Thyatira.
Just like in the other cities we have studied so far, being a Christian in Thyatira was not a popular thing to be.

9. The Church at Thyatira Lets read now what Jesus had to say to them.
Re 2:18 ¶ 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.

10. The Church at Thyatira
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.

11. The Church at Thyatira
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.

12. The Church at Thyatira
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.

13. The Church at Thyatira
Now lets take a closer look at what Jesus tells them
The first thing He does is describe who is sending this letter to them.
Son of God: Every Christian should recognize who this is referring to
His eyes were like flame of fire: when we think of fire today we associate it with heat but it was for many years a source of light.

14. The Church at Thyatira
I think the idea he is presenting with this picture is that He sees all.
Heb 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
Darkness may hide our deeds from men but not from God

15. God Sees All
Ps 139:11 If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me," Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
God sees all!!!
After describing Himself as the author of the letter Jesus really heaps a lot of praise on this congregation of His people.

16. Charity and Service
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.
He commend their charity (love) and service to Him and no doubt each other.
These two cannot be separated. We can’t love God or our fellow man without serving them.

17. Charity and Service Joh 14:15 ¶ "If you love Me, keep My commandments
Joh 14:21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.“
Our love for our fellow man is also demonstrated by our ministering to them.

18. Charity and Service
Heb 6:10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
1John 3:17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

19. Charity and Service
Jesus gave us a great example of how we should be willing to serve others even in the lowliest of tasks.
Joh 13:13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.
15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
We should never feel serving others is beneath us!!!

20. Faith and Patience
In verse 19 Jesus also commended their faith and patience.
These two things also go hand in hand.
Certainly it does us no good to have patience without faith
Faith is the very foundation of our salvation.

21. Faith and Patience
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
It is thru this system of faith Jesus set up that we are saved
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

22. Faith and Patience
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Most would agree that we have to believe or have faith in order to be saved.

23. Faith and Patience
Likewise, faith without patience will do us no good.
Patience comes from the Greek Work “Hupomone” which means cheerful (or hopeful) endurance
Ro 2:6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

24. Faith and Patience
Jas 5:10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.
11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

25. Faith and Patience
Without patient endurance it is impossible for us to be pleasing to God.
Remember what Jesus told the church at Sardis,
Revelation 2:10 …..be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
The Apostles were a good example of this patience or cheerful endurance.

26. Faith and Patience
Ac 5:40 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.
42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

27. Faith and Patience / Growing Works
The Christian simply cannot quit because things get tough on them because they are a Christian and still be pleasing to God.
Jesus also told this congregation about their works “the last are more than the first.”
The works of the Church at Thyatira were growing.

28. Faith and Patience / Growing Works
They were doing what Paul had commanded the Corinthians to do.
1Co 15:58 ¶ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Their growing works did not mean they were adding basketball and soccer leagues, meals on wheels programs, supporting orphans homes and secular education programs.

29. Growing Works
It meant they were growing in the works that a congregation of the Lord’s people has the Authority to be involved in.
This congregation was involved in Evangelism, Edifying its own and acts of Benevolence toward needy saints. Their work in these areas was growing.
They simply did not have the authority to be adding anything new to their works.

30. Conclusion
Will our lives stand up to the close scrutiny of God? His eyes that are like flames of fire see everything we do.
Do we love God enough to serve Him? Is that what our actions show?
Do we love others especially other Christians enough to be of service to them when needed? Is this reflected in our lives?
Certainly all of us would claim to have faith, but do we have the patience or cheerful endurance necessary to keep that faith in times of trial?

31. Conclusion
Are we abounding in the work of the Lord as a congregation and as individuals?
These are things that Jesus commended the Church at Thyatira for.
If we want to be commended for our good works, then we should imitate these things.
Re 2:29 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."'

32. The Seven Churches of Asia
The Church At Thyatira

33. Seven Churches of Asia
So far in our series we have discussed the Churches of Ephesus, Smyrna and Pergomas
In our last lesson we began a discussion of the Church at Thyatira
As with all of the Churches so far, Jesus told the Church at Thyatira that He knew their works and then He commended them for some of the good works they had been doing.
But just like the Churches at Ephesus and Pergomas, Jesus had a problem with the Church at Thyatira.

34. The Church at Thyatira
Re 2:18 ¶ "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.

35. The Church at Thyatira
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.

36. The Church at Thyatira
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--

37. The Church at Thyatira
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."'

38. The Church at Thyatira
We discussed in our last lesson the good things that Jesus had to say about them
Their Charity (Love) and Service: We noted that it is impossible to separate these two. If we love God then we will serve him. If we love our fellow man we will try to minister to them.
Their Faith and Patience: again these two things cannot be separated. Patience without faith will do us no good and neither will faith without patience. As Christians we need to “cheerfully endure”

39. The Church at Thyatira
Now we want to look at some of the problems they had at Thyatira and some of the promises made to those who overcome.
False teaching was being tolerated and accepted by many in this congregation
Rev. 2:20 "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.

40. The Church at Thyatira
Some have put forth the idea that the woman being discussed here is the prophetess at the temple of the pagan god Sambethe.
She evidently was well known at the time this was written. She claimed that the god Sambethe spoke thru her to its followers.

41. The Church at Thyatira
I don’t believe this to be the case. I think it was something much worse than this.
I believe this Jezebel at least claimed to be a Christian at one point.
She seems to be a part of the congregation at Thyatira.
Her false doctrine was being tolerated by the church

42. The Church at Thyatira
Jesus would not have condemned the Church for what was being taught in the temples of idols but for what was being taught and accepted in the congregation.
The doctrine she taught was that it was ok to participate in this idolatrous worship. To partake of the idolatrous feasts and to participate in sexual immorality most likely with the temple prostitutes.
She was trying to lead the people of God away from Him and into idolatry.

43. The Church at Thyatira
Therefore the symbolic name Jezebel seems to fit this woman perfectly because she was trying to do exactly what Jezebel did in the kingdom of Israel
Jezebel of old had slaughtered God’s prophets, had 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah that ate at her table
She influenced Ahab her husband to do much evil.
This symbolic Jezebel was killing the Children of God with her false doctrine and influencing many to do evil in the sight of God.

44. The Church at Thyatira
Even with one as wicked as this woman was, Jesus gave her an opportunity to repent which she rejected.
Because of her failure to repent, her judgment was coming.
The following language is figurative in nature not literal
Re 2:22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. (KJV)

45. The Church at Thyatira
She was going to be cast into a “sick bed” (nkjv).
We might think of this as someone being on their death bed. I believe the meaning of this is she was going to be destroyed eternally.
Not only her but all of those who committed adultery with her.
Those who committed fornication in the idol worship
Also those who committed spiritual adultery by turning from God to these idols
All of these will be destroyed on the day of Judgment

46. The Church at Thyatira
Re 2:23 And I will kill her children with death…
This is not talking about her physical children but rather her followers in this false doctrine.
The followers of God are called the Children of God and the followers of this false teacher are called her children.
Jesus after condemning this doctrine and its followers then addresses those who have not been lead astray by it. Encouraging them to “hold fast” til He comes again.

47. The Church at Thyatira
Jesus says “Hold Fast” but what are we to hold on to? Christ!
The idea of Hold fast comes from the greek word Krateo: to use strength, i.e. seize or retain
This brings to my mind a movie scene where one guy is hanging over the edge of a cliff or a building and another one is holding on to him to keep him from falling.

48. The Church at Thyatira
We are the ones hanging off of the cliff and Christ is our only hope. We better hang on to Him tightly.
How do we hold on to Christ?
We hold on to Him by keeping the commands we find in His Gospel.

49. The Church at Thyatira
1Co 15:1 ¶ Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain.
Jesus goes on and makes this promise to those who overcome.

50. The Church at Thyatira This reign is a spiritual reign in Heaven.
Re 2:26 "And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations
There will come a time when the wicked will no longer exercise power to persecute and trouble the Christian
As faithful followers of Christ we are told that we will reign with Him.
2Ti 2:12 If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.
This reign is a spiritual reign in Heaven.

51. The Church at Thyatira And we will be joint heirs with Him
Ro 8:17 ¶ and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
We will be able to share in the joys of Heaven as partners with Christ!
Being such puts us in a position far above those who care nothing for Christ (nations) and who will ultimately be destroyed eternally by Him

52. The Church at Thyatira
Re 2:27 'He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels‘
Jesus will have a strong and enduring rule as is symbolized by this rod of Iron
Before the end of His reign all of his enemies will be destroyed including death.
1Co 15:25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.
26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

53. The Church at Thyatira
Jesus makes one last promise to those who are faithful at Thyatira.
Re 2:28 "and I will give him the morning star.
Jesus is refers to Himself as being the morning star in Rev 22
Re 22:16 "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.“

54. The Church at Thyatira
The morning star was seen just before the dawning of the new day.
I believe we can make the comparison of Jesus returning in the clouds as the sign of the beginning of the end of night and the dawning of a new day. The end of this life and the beginning of our eternity with Him in Heaven.

55. The Church at Thyatira
1Th 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
He will be our “Morning Star” signifying that all of this life will be ended and our eternity has begun.

56. The Church at Thyatira
Jesus giving them the “Morning Star” means they will have a relationship with Jesus in Heaven when all of this ends.
All of this figurative language must have been just a lot nonsense to the Roman officials who may have read it.
The mention of someone with fire coming from His eyes, Jezebel, rod of Iron and giving someone a star. Just wouldn’t have made sense to them.

57. Conclusion
But it did make sense to these early Christians and I believe was a great source of encouragement to them.
To know in the final outcome of all things it was going to be worth all of the trials and tribulations they had to endure.
To know that they were going to be so greatly rewarded by the God of the universe had to help them hold on during these difficult times
To know that Jesus Himself was aware of their situation had to bolster their faith and their courage

58. Conclusion What about us?
We should see how Jesus feels about false doctrine.
Those who teach it and those who believe it will be destroyed
Our faith and courage should also be bolstered by knowing the outcome of all things.
Our God will reward us greatly if we overcome the trials and tribulations that we face in this life.
2Pe 3:9 ¶ The Lord is not slack concerning His promise…