Allen Raynor Weblog:
“Thyatira: The Corrupt Church” (Pt. 1)
(July 24, 2019)
Many
problems get kicked down the road like the proverbial can because they are not
easy to correct. Many of those same
problems are destructive and cost more in the end when it is determined they must be fixed. The strange noise your car is making can be
ignored, but it should not be. Evidence
of termite infestation can be ignored but should not be. Dizzy spells and headaches can be ignored but
should not be. The rising national debt
can be ignored but should not be.
Sin is
caustic and it eats away at people’s lives and it eats away at churches. Just like with many problems in our own
lives, it never seems like the most urgent matter to deal with at the
moment. We feel like we can always deal
with it on another day; at another time.
When it comes to compromising with sin, the devil will tell us anything
we want to hear. This was exactly what
was going on at the church at Thyatira.
They had a long series of compromises
that had ultimately led them to the place of corruption.
In
Revelation 2:18-29 Jesus addresses the church of Thyatira. It is unknown when this church was founded,
but many believe it was when Lydia was converted under Paul’s ministry (Acts
16) and went back to her home city. She
may have spread the word and the church was somehow founded through her
witness. From Pergamos, the northernmost
of the 7 cities, the Roman Road curved east and then southeast in Thyatira,
approximately 40 miles away. Thyatira
was the most insignificant city among
the 7 churches addressed by the Lord. It
was basically a place of industry and production, mainly wool and dyed goods
especially purple goods dyed with purple extracted from a certain type of root
called “madder.”
In
addressing the church at Thyatira, John writes, pointing them back to the vision
of the Son of Man in Chapter 1. Jesus is
described to them as having “eyes like a flame of fire” and “feet like fine brass.” This description is virtually word for word
the description given in Daniel 10:6.
The “eyes of fire” or “eyes aflame” referred to piercing, penetrating,
and burning through everything and seeing with total clarity. “Feet like brass” refers to Jesus running
through the church rapidly with judgment.
God’s judgment is never a long, drawn out process like an earthly
courtroom trial. It is swift,
penetrating, accurate, and perfect!
Everyone
appreciates a compliment and Jesus was always fair in His assessments of the
churches. He gives credit where credit
is due, but above all else, Jesus was honest and straightforward. I once had a man in my congregation tell me about
how he liked his new doctor because he would “look him in the eye and tell him
how it was.” No matter whether good news
or bad news, many appreciate honesty.
Jesus compliments works they have done which were done for all the right
reasons. Those works were done because
of love, a spirit of service, true faith, and patient expectations. In fact, Thyatira is the only one of the 7
churches to be complimented for its love.
Not only did this church possess these qualities, but their “deeds of
late” or “most recent works” were greater in number than what they were doing
earlier on. In that sense, they seemed
to be growing and moving in the right direction.
In verses
20-23 Jesus rebukes them for the sinfulness in their congregation. Despite the compliments given to the church
by the Lord, things were far from being well.
This church was guilty of serious compromise. So severe, in fact, they were corrupted! The indictment was, first of all, that they
were “tolerating the woman Jezebel, who calls
herself a prophetess.” She was
teaching and seducing people. What was
she teaching? Apparently she was
teaching that engaging in sexual immorality was ok and eating things sacrificed
to idols was fine also. “Jezebel” was
probably not her real name, but the Lord referred to her as “Jezebel” because
she brought to mind the Old Testament Jezebel, wo was a vile woman. She was so wicked, in fact, that 1 Kings
16:30-31 tells us that the most wicked thing Ahab ever did was marry her! This woman that Jesus calls “Jezebel” at
Thyatira had self-proclaimed herself as a “prophetess.” Clearly Jesus is implying she is not a
prophetess at all. Saddest of all is
that the church was allowing it to go on!
The Bible
teaches that true Christians can fall into sexual immorality (1 Cor. 6:15-20)
and idolatry (1 Cor. 10:21); but to lead other Christians into false doctrine
or immoral living is a more serious sin which calls for the most severe
punishment. God is a God of grace and
vs. 21 says she was given time/opportunity to repent of her wickedness and
immorality, but she refused. Her punishment
was to be cast onto a “sickbed,” most likely referring to death and hell – the
ultimate resting place for those who refuse to repent. Further, those who also commit adultery with
her also will suffer great tribulation/pressure. This is unless they repent and turn from
their wickedness.
The
“children” mentioned in vs. 23 are not biological children, but spiritual
children/descendants. The severe
punishment promised to the false prophets and her followers reveals Christ’s
passion for the doctrinal soundness of the church and the pure behavior of its
members. In Acts 5 we have the account
of Ananias and his wife Sapphira lying to the Holy Spirit and both being struck
down dead. Sometimes judgment for sin
comes swiftly. We can rest assured
however, God is a righteous judge. God
is never fooled about motives. His
penetrating eyes see right into the heart of a person. Here it says “He searches the minds and
hearts” and He will distribute justice fairly according to the deeds done in
the flesh. Works cannot save a person
but our works can certainly condemn us.
Christ knows all our works!
In Christ,
Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor
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