Passage: Revelation 2:18-29

The Big Idea

Thyatira was a busy church, full of love, service, faith and growing good works. But it tolerated a “Jezebel,” a teacher who led God’s people into compromise and idolatry. Many teachers see this letter as a picture of the medieval church, when human traditions, rituals and mediators crowded out the simple gospel. Jesus reveals Himself as the Son of God with eyes like fire, the only Mediator we need. His call is to hold fast to Him until He comes, trusting His works rather than our own.

The Story So Far

If the seven churches preview church history, the pattern so far looks like this:

Ephesus: the apostolic church, hardworking but drifting from its first love.
Smyrna: the persecuted church.
Pergamos: the compromising church, married to political power.

Politics has two goals: gaining power and keeping it. And power tends to corrupt. In Thyatira we see what happens when that corruption takes hold.

Many teachers see Thyatira as a picture of the church through the Middle Ages, roughly AD 600 to the Reformation in 1517. Notice something new: Jesus begins mentioning His return to the last four churches (Revelation 2:25; 3:3, 11, 20). The first three periods came to a clear end. These last four continue in some form until He comes.

The City of Thyatira

Thyatira was a trade city known for its guilds, much like trade unions, especially in clothing and dye. Purple cloth was a luxury item. Lydia, the seller of purple whom Paul met in Philippi, came from Thyatira (Acts 16:14).

Belonging to a guild usually meant joining its feasts in honor of its patron god, often with meat sacrificed to idols and immoral celebrations. Refusing could cost you your livelihood. That’s the pressure behind this letter.

A Revelation of Jesus (Revelation 2:18)

Jesus introduces Himself as “the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and feet like fine brass.”

The Son of God. This is the only letter where Jesus uses this title. What makes Jesus greater than everyone and everything is that He is God’s Son, God Himself in human flesh. He deserves all our attention and all our worship.
Eyes like fire. He sees through every outward show to the heart.
Feet like fine brass. Pure, refined, and ready to judge.

Paul says there is one God and one Mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). We don’t need anyone else to approach God for us. Not a saint, not a priest, not even Mary. Jesus alone. Any spiritual system built on other mediators is like a bridge built on Jell-O.

An Encouragement (Revelation 2:19)

Jesus knows their works, love, service, faith and patience, and that their latest works are greater than their first.

There was real good in this church: charity, care for the poor, hospitals and schools. Jesus doesn’t overlook any of it.

A Correction (Revelation 2:20-23)

But He has this against them: they tolerate “that woman Jezebel,” who calls herself a prophetess and teaches and seduces His servants into sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols.

Who was Jezebel?

In the Old Testament, Jezebel was the pagan princess who married King Ahab of Israel (1 Kings 16:31). She brought her religion with her, supported hundreds of prophets of Baal, and mixed the worship of Baal into Israel’s worship of the LORD. She murdered Naboth to seize his land (1 Kings 21).

When Elijah challenged her prophets on Mount Carmel, they shouted and cut themselves all day trying to get their god’s attention (1 Kings 18:26-29). That’s never how we get God’s attention. He looks for humility and faith: a heart that humbly trusts His Word.

How “Jezebel” got into the church

The Jezebel in Thyatira was an actual teacher. But her spirit has shown up throughout history whenever the church mixes the worship of God with other things to stay powerful and popular.

As the medieval church grew in wealth and power, it absorbed many customs and traditions that aren’t found in Scripture:

Other mediators. Prayers to saints, and veneration of Mary as Queen of Heaven. The Old Testament warns against worshiping a “queen of heaven” (Jeremiah 7:18; 44:17-19). Mary was a blessed, faithful woman, and her last recorded words point away from herself: “Do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5). When someone told Jesus His mother was looking for Him, He said His mother and brothers are those who do God’s will (Mark 3:31-35).
A repeated sacrifice. The Mass came to be taught as a sacrifice of Christ offered again and again. But Scripture says Christ died once for all; death no longer has dominion over Him (Romans 6:9-10; Hebrews 10:10-14). He isn’t still suffering. He is risen and victorious.
Grace through rituals. People were taught that grace came through the sacraments, and that they could reduce punishment for sin through indulgences. But we’re saved by grace through faith, not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).
A closed Bible. The Scriptures stayed in Latin, and ordinary people were told they couldn’t understand them. Those who translated the Bible for common people were often persecuted.

I don’t defend this system. But I’m amazed at how patient and gracious God was with it, and how gracious He is with me. And to be fair, next week the Protestant church gets just as honest a look.

Time to repent

Jesus gave her time to repent, but she wouldn’t.

God was patient for centuries. Anyone who opened the Scriptures and believed was blessed, even though many paid with their lives.
Jesus warns that He will cast her into a sickbed and bring great tribulation on those who join her, unless they repent.
He searches minds and hearts, and gives to each according to their works. That’s a sobering word to a church so focused on its works. Isaiah says even our best righteous deeds are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Only the grace of Jesus makes anything we do acceptable to God.

Jesus is saying that if your faith is really an affair with religion and not a relationship with Him, you need to repent of the idea that you can earn God’s grace.

Good News for the Faithful (Revelation 2:24-25)

To the rest in Thyatira who don’t hold this teaching and haven’t learned “the deep things of Satan,” Jesus places no other burden. “Hold fast what you have until I come.”

There were true believers in Thyatira, and there are true believers in every tradition who love Jesus and trust Him alone. Jesus knows them.
Hold on to Me. Not a ritual, a program, a tradition or a religious system. Keep your eyes on Me until I come.

A Motivation (Revelation 2:26-29)

To the one who overcomes and keeps His works to the end, Jesus will give authority over the nations, to rule them with a rod of iron (Psalm 2:8-9), just as He received from His Father. And He will give them the morning star.

His works, not ours. Overcoming means staying connected to Jesus and not being drawn into false teaching.
Authority over the nations. The church wanted to rule. Jesus will give His people a share in His reign when He returns (Revelation 20:4-6). But we can’t bring His kingdom by seizing power now.
The morning star. Jesus Himself is the bright morning star (Revelation 22:16). Not His mother, not a pope, not a saint. He is what we want, and He is what we’ll get.

How Could Jezebel Get into Our Church?

Thyatira’s leaders wanted to connect with their culture, to be like the people around them, and to keep their influence. We face the same temptation when the culture becomes what we want to look like and who we want to impress. When we’re impressed with the world’s stuff, our hearts stray quickly.

What should church look like? Do what the Bible says. Look at the book of Acts: they prayed, worshiped, studied the Word, loved one another and surrendered to God’s will (Acts 2:42-47).

Music: joyful and offered to the Lord, whatever the style.
Art: honoring and glorifying God.
Communication: loving, encouraging, honest and seasoned with grace (Colossians 4:6).

If you want to drift into corruption, follow what people say, and give human leaders and traditions the same authority as God’s Word. If you want to overcome, follow Jesus by doing what He says.

Grace Takeaway

Jesus is the Son of God, and He is enough. We don’t need another mediator, another sacrifice or another system to reach God. Everything we need is found in Him, and offered freely by grace. Whatever traditions or rituals have crept in between you and Jesus, let them go. Hold fast to Him until He comes.

For Discussion

What does it look like when religion replaces relationship with Jesus?
Have you ever wondered why so much of church tradition looks different from the book of Acts?
Who was Jezebel, and how did she lead Israel astray?
How do we “get God’s attention”? Who can help you talk to God or receive something from Him?
What are Mary’s last recorded words in Scripture? What do they tell us?
Why does Jesus give warnings?
Dig deeper: what the Bible says about grace and the Lord’s Supper.
– Titus 3:5. Some teach that receiving communion is required to receive grace. What does this verse say saves us?
– Romans 6:9-10. Can Christ be sacrificed again and again?
– Ephesians 2:8-9. Do works play any role in salvation? If not, what does? Why would God leave works out?
– John 6:51, 54-55. What does Jesus mean by eating His flesh and drinking His blood? Now read John 6:35. How does this verse help?

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Thyatira: When Religion Replaces Jesus