The Church in Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29)

The city was known for its metalworking industries, and this is alluded to by Jesus in his self-description in verse 18 when he describes himself as having eyes like a flame of fire and feet like burnished bronze. Lydia, who was converted through Paul’s ministry in Philippi, came from Thyatira (Acts 16:14), and she was involved in selling of cloth, which was another industry of the city. Like all other cities, it contained pagan temples, with all the demands and connections they made on the inhabitants – Thyatira had more trade guilds than any other city in the province.

 

The city of Thyatira does not have much of a history in comparison with the other locations mentioned in these letters. Life, from one perspective, carried on without much change. That is, until the gospel came there. The arrival of the gospel is a reminder that God was interested in the inhabitants of unexciting places. But its arrival is the only really radical change that occurs anywhere because it brings life into locations of spiritual death. That was true of Thyatira and is true of anywhere.

 

Of course, long before the gospel came there, paganism had come to the city, and different forms of worship were found there when the gospel came, and a church commenced there. Contact in some way, even conflict, was inevitable, and we can see how paganism affected the church in Thyatira from the details in the letter. Thyatira could never be the same again. It is indelibly marked on her account in heaven – the gospel came there in power.

 

No one knows how the gospel first came to that location. It may have occurred when Paul was in Ephesus for three years, the period in which the gospel became known throughout the province of Asia. It is known that Lydia, whose heart the Lord opened in Philippi, came from Thyatira (Acts 16:14). Luke tells us that before she became a Christian, Lydia was ‘a worshipper of God’, a description of Gentiles who worshipped the God of Israel. Whether there were others like her in Thyatira cannot now be known. Nor can it be known if she went back to Thyatira often. But no doubt she would have prayed for the church there.

 

The main god that was worshipped in Thyatira was Apollo, and the city contained a temple and statue of him. He was regarded as the son of Zeus, and he was known as the sun god and the statue of him was made of ivory and gold, which meant that it shone brightly in the sun. Jesus could be referring to these claims in his self-description by contrasting himself with the fake god who never existed, who never saw a thing, and who never moved his feet. He could be saying words to this effect, ‘The people in your town idolise a statue that does not live up to its description. Look at me and see One who does live up to his own description.’

 

Thyatira may have been a city of little consequence in comparison with the other six mentioned in this section of seven letters. But the church there was not one of little consequence. Jesus regarded it as important, and he makes very clear that what happens within it is being assessed by him and will receive his verdict. This letter is the longest of the seven, and it shows the interest in detail that marks the Saviour’s concerns.

 

The description of Jesus

In his self-description, Jesus mentions his deity, his penetrating vision and his awesome power. No doubt, he was stressing his claims for being obeyed. Yet merely stating his title is not what he had in mind. He wanted the people in Thyatira to remember what he did and does as the Son of God. After all, is it not the case that we can often forget his greatness very easily?

 

What does the title ‘Son of God’ bring to our minds, based on what we know about it from the Bible? Unlike other father/son relationships, in this relationship the Father and the Son are the same age – they are eternal. With regard to every earthly father, there was a time when he was not a father and that is the period before he had a child. But that cannot be said of the heavenly Father and his Son. They have been together eternally. Not only are they the same in age, they also have the same abilities. Their wisdom is equal, their power to create is equal, their presence everywhere is equal. Being addressed by such a person is certainly a wake-up moment, is it not?

 

Jesus also describes himself as having eyes of fire. This would indicate that he never looks at something without passion. It also points to the likelihood that his vision penetrates deeply, going far below the surface, reaching down into the depths inside a person. In Psalm 139, David asks God to search him, to see if there is a wicked way in him, in order that he can walk in the way everlasting. Jesus reminds the people in Thyatira that he is doing that with them, whether or not they wish him to. He is telling them that he knows who they are as well as where they are.

 

Jesus also describes himself as having ‘feet … like burnished bronze’. This is obviously a picture of strength. He claims that there is nowhere that can resist his advance, that there is no power able to do so. Why should the believers in Thyatira listen to those who advocated compromise with the pagan temple? All that the temple had was a statue whereas the church had with them the almighty God. The imagery also points to stability, that Jesus is immoveable. This means that he is reliable, that he is the same yesterday, today and forever. Because he is with them, the church should be stable, steady, and strong amid all the storms and troubles of life.

 

This description of Jesus is another reminder of his greatness. How should the church in Thyatira have responded? They should have had their own Isaiah 6 experience. The God of heaven had described himself to them. Jesus, the Son that the Father had sent into the world, had spoken. Surely, they would have been ashamed of their indifference to him, if they had been so. But as with his other letters, he has more to say. 

 

The recognition by Jesus (v. 19)

This church was a busy church, intent on serving Jesus warmly. It was in it for the long haul, prepared to persevere, and its activities were expressions of love (Jesus uses the word agape to describe their love and often its use indicates a measure of sacrifice in the commitment expressed to him). Moreover, it was better now than it used to be; even although its past had been good, it was heading with more devotion in the right direction. If it had received a church visitation committee, they would have congratulated them for the progress being made, and urged them to carry on. Surely, Jesus would say the same. He does, in one way, but neither does he put Thyatira on to the level of Smyrna or Philadelphia. All the good that they had, all the growing good that they had, did not outweigh the bad in their midst. In the middle of all the good, there was something really bad.

 

The rebuke (vv. 20-23)

We can see from the rebuke of Jesus that Thyatira had a similar fault to that in Pergamum. A false teacher had led them astray. We know from 1 Corinthians that it was common for males and females to have the gift of prophecy – this was one of the methods that God used at that time to reveal his will to his people, although what they said had to be tested, not merely accepted. Obviously, if the prophet was true, then good and holy messages would be conveyed. But what if the prophet was false? What kind of message would such a person give? Thyatira had discovered that by experience. A female prophet taught the church that not only could they participate in the practices at the pagan temple, she had influenced some to imitate those practices in the church. Her claims to special divine insight had led some true believers astray – those whom Jesus describes as ‘my servants’. 

 

Jesus reveals that he had already responded to the problem when he says that he had given her time to repent (v. 21). This looks as if a warning had been given to her, but Jesus does not say how this was done. But she was determined to continue in her sinful ways, because she was deceived. Therefore Jesus reveals that severe punishment is coming to her and to those who adhere to her teaching. The features of the punishment are the same as happened in Corinth when people there abused the Lord’s Supper – illness and death would come to her and to those who followed her teachings (here called ‘those who commit adultery with her’ and ‘her children’).

 

There are two other details in this rebuke that we should notice. First, the patience of Jesus (v. 21). Why did he delay in punishing this false teacher? The answer is that he was willing to show mercy to her

 

The second detail is that the divine judgement imposed by the Saviour will be noticed by other churches. They will realise that the experience of those judged in Thyatira was an action of the faithful Judge and protector of his cause. They will realise the folly of allowing and advocating sin in the church. This, of course, is a solemn reminder that there are examples of judgement even in this life, long before the Final Judgement will take place. 

 

The exhortation (vv. 24-25)

How did Jesus deal with those who did not suffer his judgement? He dealt graciously with them. He did not suggest that they needed to do something unusual to prove their loyalty to him. All they needed to do was continue doing what they had been doing, which was serving him according to his will, a form of discipleship that he describes himself as light, a form that they could adhere to even in the place where others once connected to the church had been severely punished. In other words, Jesus admonished them to be his faithful followers for as long as they were in the world.

 

How could they do this? By determination not to hang loose to any of Christ’s requirements. There has to be resolve in the Christian life. They cannot merely drift along, adopting a commandment here and a doctrine there, while ignoring the others. The Christian salvation is a whole package. It is not like a hamper out of which we can choose the products that we like. As we know, Jesus must be Lord of all or he is not Lord at all.

 

The reward from Jesus (vv. 26-29)

Jesus uses two graphic pictures to illustrate the nature of his reward. First, his followers will share his kingly glory. They will participate in an experience in which all will see that they have been given great dignity. He is speaking of the Day of Judgement. Where will the overcomers be on that awesome day? Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians that the saints shall judge the world. Is that not what Jesus is promising here to the faithful in Thyatira? They are going to be identified with him when he returns. Will it not be a surprise when those who persecuted the Covenanters see them seated with the Judge on that great day? Last week, we referred to Blandina and her friends who suffered for Jesus in Gaul. Will it not be a surprise when those who persecuted her see her seated with the Judge on that great day? Jesus indicates that in some way they will be the instruments of his judgement. 

 

Of course, this promise is an ancient one because, as Paul told the Roman Christians, ‘God would shortly crush Satan under your feet.’ It did not look like it a few years later when Nero launched a fierce attack on them and martyred large numbers of them. But what does it look like now for them from the viewpoint of heaven as they wait for the day when Jesus will take vengeance, as Paul describes that divine appearing in 1 Thessalonians? The journey to the crown may be a painful one, requiring a lifetime of endurance, but think of the reward. Faithfulness to Jesus in Thyatira was the road to glory for them, as faithfulness to Jesus in Inverness is the road to glory for us.

 

Jesus also promises the overcomer that he will have the morning star. What does Jesus mean by this reference? The morning star is the sign than the day is coming. Since the overcomer is defined as someone who has achieved victory, the period of him or her receiving this blessing must be after they die or at the second coming of Jesus. Was Jesus saying to them that even after they get to heaven they will be given constant reminders by him that the day is coming? After all, the faithful in Thyatira, even although they are in glory, are still awaiting the coming of the day. They are not in the night of this world, but the full day has not yet come. 

 

Maybe there is another way of looking at how we understand this title. Jesus calls himself the morning star in Revelation 22. Is he saying to us that he will always be the Sign that there is something brighter and full of glory ahead for the people of God? Today, he is the morning star, the guarantee that the perfect world will come. After he returns, he remains the morning star because he will lead his people onward into the experience of glory, a journey that will never end.

 

Applications

An obvious matter to consider is our view of Jesus in case we have a distorted one. How would we describe the common perception of him today, not in society, but in the church? The opinion of him in Thyatira was that he would put up with what was happening in the church, even although some practices were wrong. They had forgotten that he is the Judge. So far, we have considered four of the seven churches, and so far Jesus says that he will judge three of them if they will not repent. Ephesus was told it could remove its lampstand because its love was not what it should be. Pergamum was threatened by him with a sword, Thyatira was warned of illness and death. Is the common view not one that assumes that Jesus will not judge, that he will respond kindly and gently to everything, that he will tolerate anything? If we have that idea, we need to change it. Jesus searches us with burning eyes, not to find out what is there, but to deal with what is there; he approaches us with bronze feet able to crush those who oppose him. He indicates to Thyatira that he will deal severely if there is no repentance.

 

A second lesson from Thyatira is that a church punished by Jesus can have good people in it, and they can be people with a future when Jesus purifies his church. This is what was indicated to the believers in Thyatira. After Jesus had dealt with Jezebel and her followers, the good people there were to hold fast to what Jesus had given them. They would be his servants. Although he was coming in judgement for Jezebel, he was also coming to liberate his people from her influences. Once she was gone, they could become a faithful church.

 

A third lesson is to beware the effects of worldliness. It is possible that when we read the letter we assume that it cannot be describing the churches we know because they don’t do what Jezebel had urged those in Thyatira to do. We don’t indulge in such behaviour as she advocated. But that is to miss the point. The point is that the way worldliness was expressed in Thyatira was through participation in some way with the pagan temples. They were the atmosphere of Thyatira. The worldliness that we face is the atmosphere of our society. Identifying worldliness is not done by stroking out items on a list. Jezebel’s teaching allowed her followers to get on in Thyatira, to avoid being too different, to avoid difficulties that Christ’s commands brought about, and that is the spirit of worldliness.

 

The fourth application is the centrality of Jesus. In a sense, this is obvious from the structures of each letter. They begin with a self-description by Jesus and they close with a promise of future activity with or by Jesus. In between, each lays out how a life devoted to Jesus can happen.