These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’
To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give that one the morning star.
(Revelations 2:18-28)
The church in Thyatira has contrasting characteristics from the churches in Ephesus, Smyrna and Pergamum. In Ephesus, there was hard work, perseverance and intolerance for wickedness. But the church there lacked the first love. Their devotion was drudgery devoid of love, faith and hope. Smyrna is described as stripped off even the most basic of needs. Afflictions and poverty was their daily bread. Pergamum is described as faithful, devoted but compromised by perceived state of social and economic inequality.
The church in Thyatira, unlike Ephesus, had love, faith, hope and perseverance and more importantly they had the first love. So unlike the Ephesians who went through the motions, the church in Thyatira had fire in their belly like the early church in the book of Acts, an almost perfect state to be emulated. Why would God be displeased with a church that seemed perfect in all aspects?
Compromise. The woman Jezebel sat right next in the mix of things. But, ‘who is Jezebel?’ you may ask. In the book of 2 Kings, Jezebel was the wife of Ahab, the King of Israel. What’s wrong with that? You may ponder. The name ‘Jezebel’ means chaste and free from carnal connection. Her name depicts purity but her lifestyle was a perfect script of total recklessness and lewdness you could imagine. She was a fanatical worshipper of Baal. The worship not just bowing to an idol but it involved sexual revelry as part of reaching the emotional high in ‘honor’ of this idol. She built two heathen sanctuaries, one at Samaria with 450 priests, and the other at Jezreel with its 400 priests. She was a domineering wife who made Ahab turn away from Yahweh to Baal. She wasn’t content with worship of Baal but was discontent with those who didn’t approve of it. She was a thorn in the flesh of Elijah. Hunting down prophets of Yahweh, she is described as the first female persecutor in history. Her fate, the mount Carmel contest was a total humiliation and massacre of the false prophets. Later she herself was mauled by dogs.
This is the picturesque explanation of the church in Thyatira. Look at the punishment that awaited those who didn’t repent. Suffering and death. Jezebel and her prophets brought suffering in Israel for 3 years through drought as a way of forcing the generation to turn to Yahweh. The contest at mount Carmel brought death to the 850 prophets of Baal. It is estimated that Baal worship had eroded the ways of life of the Israelites for over 60 years.
But look at the hope that is promised to those who remain obedient. Ruling in authority over nations and dash evil to pieces like pottery. This dovetails perfectly with the interpretation of the dream by Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2:45), ‘This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.’ Daniel talks of a kingdom that will never be destroyed. Which kingdom is this? The prophesy of Isaiah describes the coming of Christ and His government as ‘Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end’.
What Nebuchadnezzar saw in the dream as of a kingdom made of part feet of clay and part feet of iron is what is described in Thyatira. Jesus introduces Himself as whose feet are of burnished bronze. The church cannot mix bronze and clay in the name of tolerance. That kingdom is not of God and it will be crushed. Clay feet of idol worship and immorality must be dealt with forthrightly and ruthlessly. Jesus is coming back for a church without blemish or wrinkle. Is the bride ready for the Groom?
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