Revelation 2:18–29 (ESV) — 18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 “ ‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. 25 Only hold fast what you have until I come. 26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority 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.’
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Chloe Chedchester is the granddaughter of Lisa’s mom’s husband, Tom. Chloe and her twin sister became social media sensations through TikTok and Instagram. They would talk about Jesus and have bible studies and tell how they lived their faith out day-to-day. Their following was crazy huge.
Earlier this year, Chloe had partially backed away from it without explanation to her followers. The other day, Chloe went on her social media platform and explained why she had been “missing in action.”
Chloe shared that she was convicted by the Spirit of God while reading the Scriptures that her heart was not right. Her following had grown so large that she was making a 6-figure income from sharing Jesus and talking about her faith. She was traveling everywhere, enjoying the luxury of financial success from her social media career. She humbly shared how her heart had lost track of what the Gospel is all about and her role in living and promoting it. She was turning in her resignation on social media.
It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Truly, her heart towards Jesus was pure in humility and sincere love for Him. She was walking away from a lucrative income and fame to obey what the Spirit of Jesus had revealed to her in the Scriptures. Her relationship with God was not going to be compromised. Period.
When we read our scripture text this morning, we will see a resemblance to this in Thyatira. A career that was clashing with a commitment to Jesus.
We start at the beginning of the letter from Jesus to this local church. Rev. 2:18, “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.” Christ introduces himself with attributes of the divine judge. Eyes of judgment; eyes that see the heart, intentions, motives, and true condition of the soul. He sees into your thoughts, intentions, will, and emotions. Nothing is ever hidden from Him.
He speaks of his burnished bronze feet, those of a warrior and king who fights against his enemies. In this church, his enemy is a false prophet and false teaching about the Gospel. He is declaring war against a heretical version of the Gospel that enslaves his sheep, whom He gave his life to set free.
Moving to verse 19, “ ‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. I love this commendation from the Master. He begins with the usual words, “I know.” He says, “I know your works.” These are the good works and deeds they are doing in His name. Then Jesus speaks what he knows from seeing with his penetrating eyes that see the heart of man. In this case, he sees the heart of the church. Jesus sees what lies behind their good works of ministry, which is, “your love and faith and service/ministry and patient endurance.” Brothers and sisters, let our actions and words be from a heart of love, faith, humility, and patience.
Lastly, he says to His church, “and your latter works exceed the first.” He says to them something encouraging, What you are doing now is much greater (more) than at first. Your works of love and ministry have not decreased, but increased. Jesus is giving his approval, not only of what this church is doing, but also the heart behind it. Amen!
As we look closely, we see two principles of the kingdom of God. First, you can do all the good to others that time allows and money can afford. But without a humble, loving heart, and doing them in faith, you are not honoring Jesus. You are building up a treasure in heaven of rubble (c.f. 1 Cor. 3:12-15). Second, if your deeds and service, ministry, and praise are from a heart of love, faith, a servant's heart, with patience, there is growth. Your heart will naturally grow, and so will your good deeds of ministry, when the motivation of the heart is pure. It is a natural, organic growth from a rich heart. When the soil of the heart is rich, there is growth (c.f. Matthew 13:18-23; John 15:5; Ps. 1:2-3).
Moving to verse 20, “But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.”
To understand what Jesus is saying, we need some background on Thyatira. This small city was the least important of the seven cities of Asia; it was not a religious or political center. It did possess a few temples, but it was not the hot seat of emperor worship like Smyrna. This was a commercial city. Archaeological remains of the city show “metalworking and the dying of fabrics” were a big part of its commerce and economy.
Do you recall in Acts 16:14, “… a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.” Lydia was probably a representative (sales rep) from one of the textile producers in Thyatira.
Each industry in Thyatira was dominated by a trade guild (like our Unions today). These trade guilds were dedicated to a patron god or goddess. The combination of “sexual immorality and food sacrificed to idols” from Jesus’ words suggests a setting of trade-guild banquets, held in honor of the guild’s patron deity—god or goddess. “To opt out of such events, in which social and business purposes blended, would mean forfeiting social acceptance and risking economic loss.”[1] William Barclay writes that refusing to join these feasts “[cut] off Christians from all social fellowship with non-Christians.” Moreover, “Christians’ abstention from guild membership was equivalent to commercial suicide.” The pressure would be, “Join in our banquets and worship our patron god and goddess, or be shunned by the union, by the industry.” If that is your business and career to provide for your family, then you are cut off from making a living. Do you see the conundrum for the Christians?
This is where the lies and false teaching of Jezebel come in and tickle the ears of some of the Christians in the church. Who is this Jezebel, “that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess”? Is this an actual person in that church, or is this figuratively a name given to that false teaching that was among them? One view is that Jezebel is a real person. Not the person’s name, but the person fulfilling the role of the Jezebel of the Old Testament. The belief that this person was a woman in the congregation. Another view is that Jezebel is the name referring to the influence and sin of this false teaching. We cannot be completely sure which it is. We can be sure that this was not her real name, but the name taken from the Old Testament queen of Sidon, who married the king of Israel—Ahab. Jezebel brought her pagan gods into Israel and seduced the people into worshiping her pagan gods, and participating in immoral sexual acts of worship to her pagan gods. Hence, this woman in Thyatira was under the same demonic spirit of the Jezebel of the Old Testament. (1 Kings 16:30–33; 2 Kings 9:22, 30–37).
Dennis E. Johnson adds this about this woman whom Jesus calls, Jezebel: “The prophetess is a local expression of the harlot Babylon, who is to appear in Revelation 17. As the harlot seduced kings, nations, and merchants to commit adultery with her (17:2, 4; 18:3), so Jezebel’s devotees in Thyatira are “those who commit adultery with her” (2:22). As the harlot’s fall would cast her lovers into grief (18:9–11), so Jezebel’s fall will entail tribulation for her paramours (2:22). Like the harlot, the Thyatiran prophetess advocated an adultery that was sexual and spiritual. How convenient, in a city dominated by trade guilds, for a prophetess to reveal the deep secret that Christians need not suffer loss by refraining from the guilds’ immoral and idolatrous celebrations! The harlot offers the profits of participating in the economy that flows from Rome. Her siren song sounds sweet, but in her chalice is the blood of Jesus’ witnesses (17:6). Materialism, no less than persecution, is the serpent’s weapon of war against Christ’s church.”
This woman, claiming to be a prophetess of God (false prophets are always self-proclaimed prophets & then sway others to believe they are prophets), claims to have deep, spiritual insight, and taught that what a person did with his/her body had no effect on their spiritual walk with God. According to Jezebel, a Christian who learned her deep spiritual secrets could participate in idolatrous guild feasts, and even their sensual excesses, and remain spiritually pure.
The Apostle Paul warned Pastor Timothy of this kind of “secret spiritual knowledge” that some boasted of having. I Timothy 6:20–21 (ESV), “Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.” This was heresy that a Christian could reach a higher level of spiritual knowledge than regular Christians didn’t have. This type of heresy persists to this day. You have self-proclaimed prophets and ministers who “hear” from God and tell you what God said to them. Several of the New Testament books were written to combat this heresy. It is known as Gnosticism. The term derives from the Greek word "gnosis" (knowledge), as Gnostics believed salvation came through secret, esoteric knowledge. From that basis, there is a higher level of spirituality that a person could attain. This woman, Jezebel, promoted such teaching within the church.
There is no “secret knowledge” into the spiritual. We have the scriptures, and the Apostles have given us the foundation of the truth (Eph. 2:20), built on Jesus Christ, the cornerstone. The mysteries have been revealed to the Church, which now has the responsibility of sharing (Eph. 3:1-13). Ephesians 3:10 says, “… through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known.”
Now, look again at Verse 20 and see the rebuke against this church. “I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel and her teaching, which is seducing my servants away from the truth.” In other words, Jesus says to the church at Thyatira, “I love your love, but I hate your tolerance.” [2] Jesus is judging the Church for putting up with this woman and her false teaching within the church. He is judging her, and He is calling out all those who follow her to repent and turn back to sound biblical Christianity.
Dennis E. Johnson writes, “He [Jesus] will teach a vital lesson not to the Thyatiran church alone; rather, “all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts” (2:23). The echo of the Lord’s words to Jeremiah is clear: “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways” (Jer. 17:10). Through insignificant Thyatira Jesus will show all churches that he does not tolerate undiscerning tolerance, which invites the Serpent’s venom into his Body.”
Look at verse 21, “I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent.” This may allude to the Church elders calling her to repent. They have met with her numerous times to encourage repentance, but she refuses to heed the spiritual leadership of the church. The leadership has called her to repent, but they have failed to remove her from the church, according to scripture (Matt. 18:15-20; 1 Cor. 5:4-5).
This is critical to us today, “she refuses to repent.” Let each of us be careful that these words are never said of us. Let us, as a church, never neglect false teachers and teaching among us.
In verses 22-23, we read that Jesus will judge her and all those who follow her. The reference to “her children”, is most likely those who follow her and her teachings like children. Everyone who has gone the way of Jezebel must repent or be disciplined by the Lord.
Listen, friends, those who only preach about Jesus’ love, love, love, and love thy neighbor, do not know the Jesus of Scripture. We see this clearly in his own words to his own church. He will judge you out his love for you. He will prune you, correct you, and do what a loving shepherd must do —to wake you up, repent, and get back on the right and healthy track.
This is a good opportunity for a moment of clarity. Some of these letters to these seven churches are strong, hard to swallow, and even threatening. Why does Jesus come to them with threats, hard judgment, and condemnation? It is because he loves them. He died for them. He rose from the dead for them. He ascended into heaven to rule with all authority and power for them. He is returning one day and destroying those who war against them. It is because he loves them. His warnings to those who belong to him are not about being thrown into hell. This is about obedience, sanctification, holiness, spiritual health, growing, and being strong to persevere.
Richard D. Phillips writes, “Before judging his people, Christ first gives a call to repentance. This shows that his purpose is not to harm but to save his followers. Christ has goodwill even for people in serious sin, like Jezebel. He says, “I gave her time to repent” (Rev. 2:21). This indicates that church leaders had previously confronted her for her false teaching and wicked behavior. Here we see the importance of loving and faithful church discipline. Jesus reminds Christians to take biblical reproofs seriously, especially when coming from faithful pastors or church elders. “But she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality,” Jesus goes on, and therefore, his judgment was the only recourse. An example is that of Ananias and Sapphira, who were slain for lying to the Holy Spirit in falsely boasting about financial gifts to the church (Acts 5:1–10).
Phillips continues, “Jesus is not an absentee landlord but a Sovereign Ruler of his kingdom. He says of his judgment of Jezebel and her followers that “all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works” (Rev. 2:23). This calls us, first, to believe on Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins. He said, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (John 6:29). Having been saved from sin by Christ’s blood, Christians must then pursue holiness and good works, knowing that Jesus will not fail to notice and bless them, and realizing that as a holy Lord, Jesus will chastise us for gross, scandalous sins that dishonor his name.”
Verse 24 says, “…the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan.” Gordon Fee writes, “Very likely this woman (Jezebel) was promoting her own teaching as 'the deep things of God,' whereas reality is that she was teaching the deep things of Satan.”[3] False teachers will give a spiritual name, but Jesus calls it what it is—the teachings of Satan.
Gordon D. Fee, in his commentary on Revelation, writes, “I had mentioned that in Pergamum, a small group in the church who advocated full participation in heathen social life. The problem in Thyatira, as we shall see, assumed a new and dangerous form. That new and dangerous form was the belief that there were deeper mysteries of God that one could learn, which the Apostles didn’t know and couldn’t tell us. But the prophetess could lead us in this new, higher knowledge. Very likely, she was promoting her own teaching as “the deep things of God,” whereas reality is that she was teaching the deep things of Satan.”
Campbell Morgan writes, “As there was the germ principle of Antinomianism dealt with in the church at Pergamum, so here there is the germ principle of the heresy of Gnosticism in the woman Jezebel. Here was an attempt made to fathom the deep, underlying, and unrevealed mysteries of life, and to apply them under the name and sanction of the church. The issue with the whole business was corruption. What, then, according to the Master’s estimate, was the result of this woman’s teaching? It was a lowering of the standard of separation between the church and the world.”
The cost of being faithful to Christ was made poignant when the early church leader Tertullian rebuked a believer for participating in idolatry due to his business pursuits. The man defended his sin, saying, “After all, I must live.” Tertullian answered, “Must you?”[4] If your financial future or career is threatened if you do not “go along” or “participate” socially with the ungodly, what will you do? I don’t think this is far from what some believers deal with today. In some workplaces, the Christian is pushed to compromise their faith, their morals, and their ethics. Would you compromise or trust God and hold to your convictions? We can point our finger at Thyatira, but if we put ourselves in their place, we find tough decisions, and our faith is tested.
Vs. 24-25, “but to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching … I do not lay on you any other burden. Only hold fast what you have until I come.”
Jesus says, some of you who have rejected this teaching, keep growing in the graces. Keep up the good works. Continue to love. Continue in the true faith. Continue in your ministry of service to the church and to others outside the church. Continue to patiently endure. Hold fast and keep growing forward.
There is much more in this letter, but I need to pull out some application from what we have learned from this letter. First, don’t name your child Jezebel. I think you can come up with a better choice. Second, I believe that authentic Christians do not want to be seduced into false teaching. “False” meaning wrong; contrary to the truth. “Teaching”, about God, about the Gospel, about Scripture, about how to live the Gospel in our daily lives.
Yet the reality is, many Christians are led astray into heresy and dangerous false teachings. The Bible—Old Testament and New Testament- warns us that false teachers will try to lead us away from the truth. They will deceive others into their spider web. We read warnings of this, and yet many Christians do not learn how to guard against the smooth-talking serpents, who sound scriptural, sound spiritual, but are con artists. They put on an appearance of godliness, but “Inwardly” -in their hearts, are filled with deceit to ensnare you for their own gain.
Jesus says (Matt. 7:15–16), “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?” They are among us, and like this woman in the church of Thyatira, may creep into the local church.
Here are two signs of a false teacher and false teachings. First, false teachers and their false teachings are always about gratifying the self. They want to gratify their fleshly passions, and tell you how you can be spiritual—continue to grow spiritually with God, and at the same time satisfy those desires within. Their ways will reveal to you the gratifying, satisfying, feeding, and indulging of the ego—theirs and yours. These false teachers pursue popularity, materialism (houses, planes, clothes, etc.), money, and more money, and work to gain influence over others. They always promise more out of this life because their hearts love this world more than the next world.
We are told in 2 Timothy 4:3, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.” People will look for those who will tell them what they want to hear, not want they need to hear. They will search out preachers who will make them feel good about themselves and justify gratifying fleshly/carnal ways.
The second sign of a false teacher and teaching is: they glorify themselves. They have no problem telling you how spiritual they are. They love to talk about themselves with spiritual stories and conquests. They will tell you about their deep relationship they have with God; how God shares deeper things with them that others don’t know. This is what Jezebel was saying in Thyatira. “Listen to me and I will teach you deep, secret things.”
False teachers love themselves and puff themselves up. I Timothy 6:4 tells us that false teachers puff themselves up, they are proud, and actually understand nothing. They claim to have insight knowledge, but actually know nothing about spiritual truth. They draw attention to themselves to show how spiritual they are, how important they are. They like to point out their spiritual gifts and abilities so you will admire and follow them. They will tell you things that are beyond Scripture and twist Scripture to fit their agenda and doctrines.
The early apostles faced a similar problem with false teachers. 1 Corinthians 4:6, “… brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.”
On the other hand, sound, biblical teaching has fruit that is “God-Glorifying” and “God-Gratifying.” Sound biblical teaching glorifies God, not man. It humbles man. It gives God glory and credit, all of the credit. This is the language of the Apostle Paul. “I’ve been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives within me (Gal. 2:20)”; “I boast in nothing but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Gal. 6:14).” And of John the Baptist, “I must decrease and He (Jesus) must increase (John 3:3).” Sound biblical teaching pleases God, not man. Some of it offends men because it offends the ego.
The Apostle Paul wrote to Pastor Timothy (2 Timothy 4:2–4) — “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”
Here are a couple of sharp, pointed questions for us to contemplate from this whole message. If you are reading Scripture or hearing it preached, and it convicts you, are you willing to surrender to it? Are you able to accept spiritual correction from God’s Word, even from an Elder in the church?” 2 Timothy 3:16–17, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
We, as a church, as individual Christians, must read the words of Jesus as applying to us today. Let us heed the words of our Master. Amen.
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