Thyatira

“To the angel of the church in Thyatira write,

“‘These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass:

“‘I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first. Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you 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. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.

“‘Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden. But hold fast what you have till I come. And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—

‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron;

as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star.

“‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” (Revelation 2:18–29)

“Jezebel” was a symbolic name for a false prophet in Thyatira. The Old Testament Jezebel had taught the ancient Israelites to worship Asherah, a fertility goddess, by engaging in intercourse with her priestesses. Many scholars believe that this new Jezebel taught a form of Gnosticism: that the body and spirit were entirely separate, so what your body did had no effect on your spirit. The Greek version of Asherah was still worshipped in the Roman Empire.

Jesus therefore warned that those who committed “adultery” with Jezebel would die. In the Old Testament, the prophets used “adultery” to describe the worship of other gods in addition to Yahweh. Jezebel was mixing Christianity with Greek philosophy and Greek religion.

The beliefs and culture that we pick up from the society around us may not always be compatible with our worship of God. Sometimes following Jesus means saying no to the demands of our world.

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About R.P. Nettelhorst

I'm married with three daughters. I live in southern California and I'm the interim pastor at Quartz Hill Community Church. I have written several books. I spent a couple of summers while I was in college working on a kibbutz in Israel. In 2004, I was a volunteer with the Ansari X-Prize at the winning launches of SpaceShipOne. Member of Society of Biblical Literature, American Academy of Religion, and The Authors Guild
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