TP 27 WEEKLY

Welcome to Truth Matters in 2017 A.D. While the Church of Thyatira was a loving church, the church in Rome during the Dark Ages was rather corrupt and immoral. They were a spiritually dead church, seeming more energized by the politics of the day and the prospects of making money instead of seeking souls. Now, Dr. Cheryl Davis with today's lesson, the Church of Thyatira.

Hello, I'm Dr. Cheryl Davis, and thank you for listening to Truth Matters. We are continuing our survey through the second chapter of Revelation. Last time we covered the Church of Satan City at Pergamos and realized that Pergamos really was where Satan dwelt. It was the greatest city in Asia, but it really suffered from compromise, which was really a fatal mistake that can dilute the church. But God often offers a remedy for our sin. Jesus Christ offered a remedy of repentance, but promised hidden manna and a white stone to those who overcame. We're going to finish chapter two with the corrupt church or the adulterous church of Thyatira in Revelation chapter two, verses 18 through 29. But the last thing I'd like to remember about the Church of Pergamos is that compromising on the Word of God will cost you your life. It's really a key word for Pergamos and it's a key word for us today that compromising on the Word of God will cost you your life. Let's begin in chapter two, verses 18 through 29. And to the angel of the church in Thyatira writes, 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, and 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 sick bed 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.

They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels, 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. And all the churches up to this point you see a pattern. They have genuinely commendable qualities marred by carelessness in one particular area. That particular area of spiritual carelessness has the effect of rendering powerless the other positive qualities. Basically the good does not outweigh the bad. And really a lot of us are in these situations today, but we think the grace of God is enough to outweigh the bad, so we continue to operate in these careless actions, and we think that we're going to escape judgment because of the grace of God. But the grace of God forgives us of our sin.

It does not necessarily escape us from the consequences of our sin. So for the church at Thyatira, this is the destination of the letter. Thyatira was known for its commerce. It is located in a valley between two cities on a busy trade route running through Asia Minor. They were known for having bakers, bronze workers, clothiers, cobblers, weavers, tanners, dyers, and potters. It seems to be the least important of the seven cities, but she receives the longest of the seven letters.

It's really the city of the blue collar worker. But listen to the designation of the Lord in this letter. These things says the Son of God. He introduces himself as the Son of God in verse 18. The Son of God emphasizes his authority. He establishes that at the outset.

And you will see why later. Who has eyes like a flame of fire. He has an all-seeing God. It means that really Christ sees all. Nothing can be kept from the searching gaze of his sight. Fire in particular means that nothing can stand before it and survive.

It destroys everything in it and destroys everything that it comes in contact with so that nothing remains hidden. There are many examples of God's knowledge of all things in Scripture. In Genesis 16 verse 13, he saw Hagar alone in the wilderness. In Jeremiah 11 verse 20, Jeremiah knew God tests the hearts and minds of all men. In John 2, 24 through 25, John says Jesus knew what was in all men. Continuing in verse 18, his feet are like fine brass. Brass in the Scripture is always an indication of judgment. We don't give much attention to this aspect of Jesus.

Really, we focus on him as the suffering servant that we see in the Gospels, not as the righteous judge. In Deuteronomy chapter 28 verse 23, it says, And your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron. God tells Israel when they sin, heavens which are over your head shall be bronze.

Prayers will go unheard, and blessings of rain will be stopped. Christ's judgment is spelled out in Revelation chapter 2 verse 23. 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 each one of you according to your works. All churches will know who is searching the hearts and minds of believers everywhere.

This is really important. Christ, who stood ready to judge the seven churches in Revelation, stands ready to judge our churches today. The resurrected Christ is searching the hearts of the people in the 21st century.

Jesus is going to judge his church with perfect knowledge at the judgment seat of Christ, following the rapture. Then Jesus gets into the diagnosis of the church, in which he starts out with the phrase, I know. In verse 19 he says, I know your works, love, service, faith, and patience. Thyatira was a laboring church. Works are also known as good deeds, and it mentions service. They were involved in ministry to others.

Service is the same word in which we get deacon, which means to serve. They were laboring and ministering, and their laboring and ministering was pleasing to Jesus. So he knew their works.

He also knew their love. Thyatira was a loving church. It was a church that exercised love.

It was really opposite of the church at Ephesus. Ephesus had lost their first love, but knew their doctrine. Thyatira could not discern their doctrine, but they could love. He also knew their faith. This is where we get the Greek word pistisis, which is faithfulness, fidelity, or loyalty. Thyatira was a loyal church.

It was dependable and reliable. Christ knew their patience. Thyatira was a long-suffering church.

They had the ability to be still when everything around you is storm-tossed. That's what long-suffering is. That's what patience is.

This is where we get the Greek word hupomone, to abide or to remain under. Patience stays put under the most difficult circumstances. But notice after he says, I know your works, your love, your service, your faith, and your patience, and that your works, the last, are more than the first. Thyatira is a maturing church.

There's evidence of growth and maturation. But he found good things. But nevertheless, he had a few things against them, which is really the denunciation of the church that he goes in into verses 20 through 23. 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 sick bed 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.

There was a cancer in the body. The devil's strategy was to introduce evil into the church through a woman who promoted sexual immorality. Who is Jezebel? You know, historically, she was the wife of Ahab. Her father was the priest of Asheroth, which was a Phoenician god. Religion was divorced from immorality and sexual immorality was made a part of worship. A priestess of Asheroth was also known as a prostitute.

Ahab really made a huge mistake. He built a temple in Samaria to Asheroth, and we know this in 1 Kings chapter 16, to appease his wife Jezebel. He supported 850 prophets of her cult, which began systemically killing the prophets of God in 1 Kings 19 to the point that Elijah ran from her. Spiritually, this prophetess represented Jezebel.

She promoted sexual immorality, but really what Ephesus tolerated or what Ephesus rejected, Thyatira tolerated. There are key terms of here is that Jesus Christ says, I gave her time to repent. In verse 21, Christ gave Jezebel time to repent and she did not.

And this really brings up one point that I want you to remember. The judgment of God is not always swift, but it is certain. And in this case, Christ gave Jezebel time to repent, but she did not repent. And then we see the judgment come certain as he promised it. In verses 22 and 23, we get into the declaration of the church. This is the message to the cult that he pronounced judgment on Jezebel in verses 22 and 23.

He says, I will cast her into her sick bed 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. The message to the Christians though, there are some Christians there that had not known the depths of Satan. You know, remember God always works in a remnant. And just like he had prophets that had not kneeled to bail, he has Christians here that had not known the depths of Satan. But he promised them in verses 24 and 25, I will put on you no other burden.

Basically keep on doing what you're doing. He had a message for the conquerors in verses 26 through 29. And he who overcomes and keeps my works until the end, I will give power over the nations.

If they stay faithful, they will be given the right to rule one day. And in the next part of the verse, and I will give him the morning star. This is the promise of the rapture of the church. It is a reference to Christ as the one who come in the dark hour preceding the dawn of the kingdom of God. The morning star in verse 28.

This is the promise of the rapture of the church. So in summary, Thyatira is almost an opposite of Ephesus. They knew love but could not discern their doctrine. What Ephesus expelled from their church, Thyatira tolerated.

But there was still a remnant within Thyatira that had not known the depths of Satan. And Christ promised this remnant the right to rule if they remain faithful. And he promised the rapture of the church. And again, here, do we see any of these patterns in our modern day churches today, or even in our relationship with God? Examine this letter, see if you see anything in that within yourself and know that the important thing is that God gives us time to repent in our sin. But that is the main point that I want to really hammer home is the judgment of God may not be swift, but it is certain.

Until next time, I'm Dr. Cheryl Davis. Next week, Dr. Davis takes our study of the seven churches of Asia from the Church of Thyatira to the fifth church, the Church of Sardis, the church that had become spiritually weak and in grave danger of dying unless they repented and turned back to the true pillar of the faith. Please do not miss this compelling study as it may be a lifeline of truth helping to enrich your spiritual health. In each of the letters that Jesus writes to the seven churches, he does so not intending to condemn, but instead purposed to shed light on their sin, hoping they would repent and turn their hearts back to the Lord, their Redeemer. These seven letters to the churches of Revelation contain the same message that the Holy Spirit shares with the church today that God is not willing for any to perish, but that all might be saved and have eternal life. If you would like to contact Truth Matters, you can reach us by emailing Dr. Davis at CherylDavis at projecttruthmatters.com or write her at P.O. Box 159, St. Paul's, North Carolina, 28348. You can connect with Truth Matters on Facebook or visit our website at projecttruthmatters.com. Truth Matters with Dr. Cheryl Davis is a Ministry of the Truth Project.