Thyatira – the Corrupt Church (2:18-29)
The practice of church discipline has a 2-fold purpose: to call sinning believers back to righteous behaviour and to remove from the church those who stubbornly cling to their sin. Thyatira church with members were engaging in both spiritual and physical Immorality and idolatry.
The Lord sends longest message to the church to the smallest city. Thyatira was a military town as well as a commercial centre with many trade guilds (trade unions). Wherever guilds were found, idolatry and immorality, the two great enemies of the early church were almost always present. Even in countries like India trade unions celebrate publicly Hindu festivals viz, Vishwakarma or Ayudapuja etc. Some Christians take part in Dandiya dance, bhart natyam etc which are purely nothing but appeasing the Hindu gods and goddesses. It is said more of cultural and folk dances, but they are idolatry. Where there is idolatry, there is immorality leading to adultery. Believers who are not participating in such idol worship festivals are seen contemptuously.
The city boasted a special temple to Apollo, the “sun god,” which explains why Christ was described as the Son of Man (1:13). The title “Son of Man” views Christ in His ability to sympathize with the needs, trials and temptations of His church. Here, Jesus is identified as “Son of God” the only time this phrase appears in Revelation. The emphasis is on His deity, because His approach to the church at Thyatira is as divine judge. Further His feet as being “like burnished bronze” is similar to (Rev.19:15) where it says “Christ treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.” The terrifying description of the Lord Jesus must have created shock waves when this letter was read to the church at Thyatira. This Church is a reflection of the some of the churches during (606-1520) A.D.
History: Bible does not record the founding of the church at Thyatira. In (Acts 16:14), Lydia from the city of Thyatira, was converted under Paul’s ministry at Philippi. Her household members also came to faith and were baptized. It is quite possible that Lydia and her household would had helped to start the church at Thyatira. This church seems to have founded as an outreach of Paul’s ministry at Ephesus (Acts.19:10).Thyatira was about 40 miles from Pergamum. It was built relatively on flat land and lacked natural fortifications against potential invaders. The city was founded by Alexander the Great’s successor Seleucus as a military outpost. In 190 BC, Thyatira was conquered and annexed by the Romans enjoying Roman peace. The city then became a commercial centre and it is known for trade unions. To hold a job run a business, it was necessary to be a member of the guild. Each guild has a deity in whose honour feasts were held including meat sacrificed to idols and sexual immorality. Christians faced the dilemma of participating or losing their job.
Appreciation: (2:19). The believers in Thyatira were a busy lot! They were involved in sacrificial ministry for the sake of others. What’s more, their works were increasing and characterized by faith, love, and patience; so the church was not guilty of mere religious activity. Thyatira was strong where Ephesus was weak. Thyatira is the first of the seven churches commended for its love.
Accusation: (2:20-23).No amount of loving and sacrificial works can compensate for tolerance of evil. The church was permitting a false prophetess to influence the people and lead them into compromise. It is not likely that this woman was actually called “Jezebel,” since such an infamous name. The name is symbolic: Jezebel was the idolatrous queen who enticed Israel to add Baal worship to their religious ceremonies (1 Ki. 16-19). The seductive teaching of Jezebel whose life ended in a gruesome death (2 Ki. 9:30-37) was similar to the “doctrine of Balaam” that the Lord condemned in the church of Pergamum(2:14). She taught believers how to compromise with the Roman religion and the practices of the guilds, so that Christians would not lose their jobs.It is interesting to contrast the churches at Ephesus and Thyatira. The Ephesian church was weakening in its love, yet faithful to judge false teachers; while the people in the assembly at Thyatira were growing in their love, but too tolerant of false doctrine. Both extremes must be avoided in the church. “Speaking the truth in love” is the biblical balance (Eph. 4:15). Unloving orthodoxy and loving compromise are both hateful to God.
Divine judgement was about fall not only on Jezebel, but also on those who committed adultery with her. The Lord threatened them to cast them “into great tribulation.” This is the tribulation of (Rev.4-19) but distress or trouble. Further the Lord declares, “I will kill her children with pestilence.” The church was about 40-years old when John wrote, so her false teaching had been around long enough for a second generation to have arisen. It is not known how many in that church responded to Christ’s warning, but tragically, the Thyatira church as a whole apparently did not obey it. History records that it fell to the Montanist heresy, a movement led by a false prophet who claimed continuing revelation from God apart from Scripture. The church disappeared by the end of the 2nd century.