The Church at THYATIRA 

Let me start off by saying that I know this is a lengthy passage of Scripture, but please take the time to read it so what follows makes sense.  

“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write:  The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and feet like burnished bronze, says this: 

‘I know your deeds, and your love and faith, and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first.

‘But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commitsexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.‘I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her sexual immorality. ‘Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. ‘And I will kill her children with plague, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.

‘But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you.‘Nevertheless what you have, hold firmly until I come.

‘The one who overcomes, and the one who keeps My deeds until the end, I will give him authority over the nations; And he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are shattered, as I also have received authority from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. ‘The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ ~~Revelation 2:18-29

Thyatira was a city in Asia Minor, a colony of Macedonian Greeks.  Its name means  “odor of affliction”.  The city was situated between Sardis and Pergamum on the Lycus river.  The inhabitants of the city gained their living by trading and the art of dyeing in purple.  It was the home of many trade guilds.  Every artisan in Thyatira belonged to a guild – an incorporated organization that could own property in its own name and enter into contracts for construction projects. As such, guilds wielded a significant amount of influence.  The prevailing religious flavor of the city was that it hosted a major cult of the pagan god Apollo (son of Zeus).  Of all the seven churches addressed in Revelation 2-3, it is the smallest in size.  The smallest of churches received the longest address from Jesus.  That is noteworthy.  

I also took note of how the Bible described Jesus in this passage. “Son of God” expressed His deity.  “Eyes like a flame of fire” spoke of how He looks with penetrating judgment, seeing the heart and discerning its motives.  “Feet like burnished bronze” spoke of His purity (metal back then was purified by burnishing), as well as His steadfastness (bronze was the strongest metal in the ancient world).  Feet like burnished bronze were strong and immovable.  

Jesus’ commendations to this church were that He knew their deeds, which were greater now than they were at the beginning.  This church was growing spiritually.  He noted their love and faith, their service and their perseverance.  This is where, in the letters to the previous churches, a “but” would come.  

Jesus knew that these believers were living in a city in which a majority of the people were religiously corrupt.  He said of them,  “(They) allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols” (vs. 20).   Whether Jezebel was the name of an actual lady who was a self-styled “prophetess” within the church, or just a euphemism to get a message across is unknown.  But we know that just like the names “Judas” and “Hitler” bring things to your mind, Jezebel also has a powerful association with attempting to combine the worship of Israel with worship of the idol Baal.  

“…what you have, hold firmly until I come…”

I know that is a lot of historical information, but stick with me.  Because Jesus knew what this city was like for the believers at that time, His “but” was more of an admonition, encouraging them to hold firmly til He comes (vs. 25).  A bit more information will explain why Jesus told them this.  As I stated previously, Thyatira was full of guilds for the tradesmen.  The draw of these guilds was powerful.  No merchant or trader could hope to prosper and make money unless he was a member of his trade guild.  Meetings of these guilds were mandatory.  They were often held in the temple of Apollo, and included eating food that had previously been offered to idols.  In the face of the pressure the guilds applied, Jesus was telling the Christians to stand firm and hold firmly to His way.  

We all face pressures from our jobs, our schools, from our culture at large, so the same admonition can be given to us today.  If we are to “hold firmly”, then we better fully understand what that looks like. It’s important to note that this phrase is imperative – “do this and that’s an order” kinda thing.  “Hold firmly” comes from the Greek word <krateo> meaning to use strength to seize or retain; not to let go of or discard; to keep carefully and faithfully.  

PAUSE TO PONDER the words “carefully” and “faithfully” for a minute.

• (DIC) carefully:  marked by (that’s reputation, it’s evident) caution and prudence and painstaking effort to avoid errors of commission AND omission (working hard to avoid wrong actions, as well as working hard to do what is required).
• (DIC) faithfully:  steadfast in affection or allegiance (you won’t stand by someone you don’t really love); true to the facts, to a standard, to the original (“Be imitators of God as dearly loved children” Ephesians 5:1)

Let your behavior speak of your holding firmly. 
Make sure you are bearing the “family” resemblance as a child of God.   

To the overcomer in this passage, Jesus promised “the one who keeps My deeds until the end, I will give him authority over the nations; and he shall rule them…”.  As I paused to ponder the word “rule”, I was picturing a king on a throne, or the authority  figure sitting behind the desk from someone below them in rank.  But when I looked that word up in the original Greek language, I learned that rule (poimanei) means to shepherd, using judgment AND mercy and direction. This brought to mind Psalm 23 and how the Good Shepherd’s rod and staff comfort us.  The rod to “thump us” when needed and the staff to “direct us where to go and where not to go”.  

Jesus offered ruling in His kingdom, but He offered them a reward even greater than that. He offered them the reward of Himself, because He is the Morning Star (“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you of these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star”, Revelation 22:16).

So all that to say this.  Walking with Jesus means walking away from sin.  Anything that you may “lose” in this world as a result of choosing to live according to the Word of God will surely be gained (and then some) in eternity.  

Living and serving Jesus is never a “Jesus…and” but always a “Jesus…ONLY”.