Study No. 4 Pergamos (Standing and Tolerating) - Thyatira (Depths of Satan) Ch 2:12-29
This is the third of the seven churches of Asia which Jesus has chosen to represent the whole church - in the whole world - for all of time.
This means that in the world today we have ‘Ephesus’ type churches, Smyrna churches and now we discover the world has in it Pergamos type of churches. In the last study we left off realizing that God wants our faith to be strong, enduring faith. Being faced with severe persecution can cause growth … and it can also cause a believer to recoil in fear and timidity and possibly even cause them to ‘recant’ (publicly denounce one’s faith).
What we are discovering is that Satan has more than one way to destroy the Lord’s church. He has two basic methods:
Opposition and/or infiltration
Intimidation and/or enticement
Re 2:12 ¶ "And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, ‘These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword:
About the church and city.
This is another of the churches of Asia minor about which we have no information as to its origin. Like Smyrna we would say it was probably planted by Paul, but if not directly by him, then likely some of the believers of churches not too far away came and brought the gospel here.
The city was known for the invention and the manufacture of parchment (the early form of paper) and had one of the largest libraries in existence.
The introduction by Jesus is very serious. This is not an opening remark that conveys understanding and sympathy. The sword implies rebuke. To receive words of reproof and rebuke by Jesus … cut very deeply. The sword is mentioned later as well, and then it represents more than just words of rebuke.
13 "I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
Now the words of Jesus do convey understanding and sympathy. "I know better than anyone else what you are up against in the city of Pergamos.”
“You are holding fast my name …” This means much more than just using the name of Jesus, or pronouncing His name, Yeshua, or repeating the words, ‘Jesus is Lord!’ To do this (only) is incredibly shallow and almost meaningless. To hold fast His name is to hold on to everything that Jesus represents. For example, Jesus is God. Born of a virgin. Died to atone for the sins of the world. We can let the Apostle Paul finish this thought …
1Timothy 3:16 Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.
This is what it means to hold fast His name … and this is what the Pergamos church was doing. They had not denied the Lord. Was there pressure here to deny Him? Absolutely! The city of Pergamos also was engrossed in Caesar Worship. Actually, it was the first city in Asia to introduce such a practice. As long as a person would worship Caesar first, they could worship whoever and whatever they pleased. Pagan religions were also here and were even stronger than in Smyrna. To name a few; Athena, Askle’pios, Dionysius, also known as Bacchus, the god of drunkenness and debauchery.
Jesus says that Satan’s throne was there. Can you imagine what kind of statement this is? Jesus, who lives in the realm where He sees everything and is perfectly aware of Satan’s whereabouts says that Satan’s seat is right here in Pergamos. How would you like to live in a city that has this distinction?
On the top of the acropolis was erected an altar in the form of a throne for the god, Zeus – a huge chair like structure.The emperor worship ‘cult’ had grown here more than anywhere else in the world. This made it very tough for Christians. On the one day a year that it was required to burn incense to Caesar and say ‘Caesar is Lord,’ the Christians would refuse. This reached the point where they lost their rights as citizens and in some cases, lost their lives.
Slide of the Altar of Zeus
The god, Asklepios (Asclepius) was very big in Pergamos. This was the ‘god of healing’. When a person went to the temple of Asklepios they would be going there for healing. The symbol of their healing god was the snake. A person would go into the temple and lie down on the floor for the night. Thousands of harmless snakes slithered all over the floor as they crawled over the person they supposedly infused healing into the body.
If you have ever noticed the medical symbol, a pole with a snake winding around it, this is where it came from . Does it sound Satanic? Yes. Re 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Asklepios – (Asclepius) the Satanic snake god, The altar and throne of Zeus, a pagan, Satanic god and the worship of Caesar, a Satanic practice … this was where Satan was basing his earthly operations.
- An interesting side note: In the 1880’s (just over a hundred years ago) a German archaeologist working in Pergamos uncovered the remains of the throne/altar of Zeus. I don’t know why he would be permitted to do this, but he took all of the pieces (which were remarkably in good condition) to East Berlin and reassembled it there. It was opened as Pergamonmuseum in 1930. The ‘Seat of Satan’ was opened in the same city as Hitler used for his head quarters. Is there any connection?
Antipas was put to death in Pergamos. Jesus calls him “My faithful witness”. The greek word for ‘witness’ is μαρτυς (martus mar’-toos) from which we get the English word martyr. It is interesting how the meaning of the word has changed. Originally it meant ‘a witness’. Jesus calls him ‘My faithful witness’. After a time the word became synonymous with ‘one who gives his life for the cause’. Why? Because this seems to be what happened to all faithful witnesses.
We are not given any details as to who this man was (is) but the fact that he was taken and became what many believe was the first martyr under the Roman persecution in Asia, it is very likely he had been ‘the angel’ of the church at Pergamos.
* slide of Antipas martyrdom.
Historical tradition says that he lost his life here on earth as he was put into a hollow brass ox under which a fire was built.
His name means, ‘like the father’ or ‘against all’. I am not sure which definition is correct. Either one are really fitting for him. How wonderful it would be to said of us (symbolically, of course) he or she, has his father’s eyes. If the second definition is correct … he lived up to his name and stood ‘against all’ the corruption in Pergamos.
He had to stand ‘against all’ the compromise that was happening within the church as well. Jesus says, I have a few things against you (the Pergamos church).
Here are two that are mentioned:
The plot worked. And God had to bring a ‘plague’ (a sword) against them and 24,000 Israelites died as a result.
For the doctrine of Balaam to be practiced in Pergamos it would look a little different. It would not look like it did in the Old Testament with the Israelites all neatly camped and arranged by tribe down in the plain. No, this was a church living in a city and some of the people were being affected like God’s people in the time of Balaam.
As I mentioned at the beginning, Satan has two lines of attack. Opposition and/or infiltration or we could say Intimidation or enticement.
It is the latter method that is affecting the church in Pergamos. Just as the Israelite men were marrying heathen women, this is exactly what was happening here.
John McArthur comments like this;
“The doctrine of Balaam is the teaching that the people of God can inter marry with the heathen and thus will become what the heathen are. There were some people in this church saying it's okay to inter marry, inter mingle with the pagan system. We are not to be separate, we are not to be aliens, we're to inter marry with unbelievers, we're to get involved in life around us, mixing the old patterns, the old morals, or lack of, the old idolatry with the new Christianity. Of course our Lord had called for a clean break but always there are the seducers, always there are those who come in and want to get God's people to break from the separation and mingle with the world. God absolutely condemned such a union in Israel and here the Lord Jesus Christ condemns such a union in Pergamos.
We're reminded of 2 Corinthians 6 where Paul says, "What fellowship has light with darkness, what concord has Christ with Belial? Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." But here there were some people in the church saying you can be a Christian and worship idols, you can be a Christian and commit fornication with a heathen priest, priestess at the temple. You can go to the debauchery and the orgies and the festivals and the feasts and still come here and pay your homage to Jesus. They were teaching that.”
John McArthur
2. Here is the second thing that Jesus had against this church, "You have some people in the church who are accepting the teachings of the Nicolaitans."
If the definition of Nicolaitan is Nicos (to conquer) and Laos (people) then what we have in Pergamos is the beginning of a class of people that are above the others of the church. It is the beginning of ‘clergy and laity’. It is the beginning of Elders beginning to rule, not as servants, but as those in authority. The power they imagined that they had was going to their heads and corrupting them. This would be the early beginnings of a priesthood who would dominate people, form a ‘union’ of priests that would dominate people for centuries.
The Apostle Peter said this about the priesthood of all believers;
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 1Pe 2:9
And John said in Re 5:10 And (You) have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth."
Toleration – (Slide of the church structure in Pergamos)
The charge against the church is two-fold. Stop tolerating deviant behaviour in the church. Paul said that a little leaven would affect the whole ‘lump’. Purge out the old leaven, he said. And if you are one of the ones condoning and joining in practicing the ways of the world, quit! And if you are ‘ruling’ the people and treating them as a lesser class of people than you are … quit!
16 ‘Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.
17 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it ."’
What is it that overcomes the world? for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 1 John 5:4
As Christians we have both a ‘standing’ and a ‘walk.’
Our standing (our salvation) is secure. We are saved by grace through faith.
Ro 5:2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Our ‘walk’ (our daily lives from here until the time we meet Jesus) is to be a walk of committed faith.
2Co 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.
Overcomers: Eat of the hidden manna. Christ is the bread of life. When we walk by faith as overcomers He promises that we will have a close union with Him as He had with the Father: John 4:32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about."
The white Stone – No one seems to really know what this represents, but to seems certain that to be given a secret name by Jesus speaks of intimacy and fellowship beyond anything we can imagine.
Thyatira – the Depths of Satan
What was beginning to happen in Pergamos church had come to ‘full bloom’ in Thyatira
This letter shows how far compromise with the world will go.
The church is commended in regards to their deeds, their love and faith, their service and perseverance, and the fact that they were now doing more than they did at first. But, as we saw in the diagram of what a church in a city looked like, a part of this church was totally corrupt.
The practice of debauchery is labelled as ‘tolerating that woman, Jezebel’.
Tolerating sin in the church is the issue.
The (his)story of Jezebel I Kings 16:31 - II Kings 9:37. This is the account of a marriage between King Ahab of Israel and a non-Israelite woman, daughter of a foreign king. Jezebel brought with her to Israel, her foreign god, Baal and her gentile morals, in direct opposition of Israel’s clear instructions regarding Godly living. She was in conflict with God’s prophet, Elijah, who ultimately prophesied her death and the death of her husband, Ahab. He said that she would be eaten by dogs, and that dogs would lick up the blood of Ahab. This prophecy came true in a very literal sense.
There is an expression that was popular a number of years ago, and used mainly by parents who were losing control of the dress and appearance of their teenage daughter. It went something like this, “You are dressing like a Jezebel!” Jezebel may have been a very attractive woman. She is the one of the only woman in scripture who is mentioned as using makeup.
One day, in her city, a watchman on the wall above the city gate made the announcement that someone was coming. He said, judging from the way he is driving, it’s the prophet Jehu. When Jezebel heard who it was she got dolled up and looked out of her upstairs window. Jehu paused below the window … then he called out … “Is there anyone here on the Lord’s side?” Two men stuck their heads out the window and volunteered. Then Jehu said, “Throw her out of the window.” They did it. Then Jehu went into town for a drink. After a while he told someone to go clean up the mess, after all, she is a king’s daughter. The cleanup crew found that dogs had eater her and all that was left was her skull and her hands and feet.
Well, that’s the quick version. You can read the details yourself sometime.
I doubt very much that the woman in the Thyatira church was actually called Jezebel.
In the book of Acts (16:14) you can read about a woman living in Philippi, Macedonia, who had previously come from Thyatira. She worked with textiles and was a seller of purple cloth (which likely had come from Thyatira). The city was the smallest of all seven that are being addressed. It’s industry was largely in textiles. There is no mention of temples built to any of the gods, however the people, like most people of the day, were polytheists. Thyatira had developed ‘guilds’. A fairly close comparison to how they worked and the effect they had on daily life would be to compare them to trade unions of today. Many unions have a ‘swearing in’ ceremony when a person joins. If you defy your union, you might find yourself in a difficult position regarding finding new employment. The guilds were like that, but additionally each guild would feature one of the gods. Members of a guild often projected lifestyles that agreed to the understanding they had of their god.
Jezebel was a church member. She was influential and had been so for a while. We read of ‘second generation’ Jezebelites (v23). The church people are being influenced to sexual immorality and idolatry.
How did this woman operate? We don’t know for sure, but here are two of the issues of the day:
The teachings of the Gnostics – They taught that the flesh is evil and there is no cure for it. The mind can be elevated through knowledge. The more knowledge, the closer you are to God. In this teaching it did not matter what you did with your body. Another name for this is ‘Dualism’. This teaching was very prominent and found its way into the early church.
The teachings of the Libertines – It went something like this; Jesus paid for our sins, past present and future, therefore we are forgiven of all sins we might ever commit. (This is a lie. True, Jesus paid for the sins of the world … but people are not forgiven unless they repent and confess. I John 1:9,10) The Libertines had perverted grace into total permissiveness. (Jude 1:4)
The woman (Jezebel) in Thyatira may have had a mixture of the two. There is a comment in verse 24 that hints at getting into the deep things (of Satan). Perhaps that is an influence of Gnosticism. Read Romans 16:19. Notice that the Apostle Paul is saying that he wants believers to be WISE concerning truth and Godliness, but SIMPLE in relation to evil.
In no sense are we ever encouraged to study Satanism.
Do we have elements of the above heresies that are present in today’s churches? Yes, very much so. The writer of the novel, ‘The Shack’ promotes the idea that the whole world is forgiven.
Do we have pressures put on us today that affect where we can be employed?
This woman in Thyatira called herself a ‘prophetess’ – do we have those today who claim to be God’s prophets or prophetesses, but who really are not?
Do we have a course of action that can deliver us or safeguard us from these errors?
The answer will be in your extra study for this week.
The Warning: Death. God wants a pure church. Remember what happened to Ananias and Sapphira? Our part in this? I Corinthians 5.5. God’s part? I John 5:16
The church is encouraged to hold on to what they still have (v25).
The Promise to overcomers: Rule and reign with Christ during the coming millennium. Will be given the ‘morning star’ (see 22:16).
Extra Study
Please read and analyse and comment on II Timothy 2:15 and 3:16,17
This means that in the world today we have ‘Ephesus’ type churches, Smyrna churches and now we discover the world has in it Pergamos type of churches. In the last study we left off realizing that God wants our faith to be strong, enduring faith. Being faced with severe persecution can cause growth … and it can also cause a believer to recoil in fear and timidity and possibly even cause them to ‘recant’ (publicly denounce one’s faith).
What we are discovering is that Satan has more than one way to destroy the Lord’s church. He has two basic methods:
Opposition and/or infiltration
Intimidation and/or enticement
Re 2:12 ¶ "And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, ‘These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword:
About the church and city.
This is another of the churches of Asia minor about which we have no information as to its origin. Like Smyrna we would say it was probably planted by Paul, but if not directly by him, then likely some of the believers of churches not too far away came and brought the gospel here.
The city was known for the invention and the manufacture of parchment (the early form of paper) and had one of the largest libraries in existence.
The introduction by Jesus is very serious. This is not an opening remark that conveys understanding and sympathy. The sword implies rebuke. To receive words of reproof and rebuke by Jesus … cut very deeply. The sword is mentioned later as well, and then it represents more than just words of rebuke.
13 "I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
Now the words of Jesus do convey understanding and sympathy. "I know better than anyone else what you are up against in the city of Pergamos.”
“You are holding fast my name …” This means much more than just using the name of Jesus, or pronouncing His name, Yeshua, or repeating the words, ‘Jesus is Lord!’ To do this (only) is incredibly shallow and almost meaningless. To hold fast His name is to hold on to everything that Jesus represents. For example, Jesus is God. Born of a virgin. Died to atone for the sins of the world. We can let the Apostle Paul finish this thought …
1Timothy 3:16 Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.
This is what it means to hold fast His name … and this is what the Pergamos church was doing. They had not denied the Lord. Was there pressure here to deny Him? Absolutely! The city of Pergamos also was engrossed in Caesar Worship. Actually, it was the first city in Asia to introduce such a practice. As long as a person would worship Caesar first, they could worship whoever and whatever they pleased. Pagan religions were also here and were even stronger than in Smyrna. To name a few; Athena, Askle’pios, Dionysius, also known as Bacchus, the god of drunkenness and debauchery.
Jesus says that Satan’s throne was there. Can you imagine what kind of statement this is? Jesus, who lives in the realm where He sees everything and is perfectly aware of Satan’s whereabouts says that Satan’s seat is right here in Pergamos. How would you like to live in a city that has this distinction?
On the top of the acropolis was erected an altar in the form of a throne for the god, Zeus – a huge chair like structure.The emperor worship ‘cult’ had grown here more than anywhere else in the world. This made it very tough for Christians. On the one day a year that it was required to burn incense to Caesar and say ‘Caesar is Lord,’ the Christians would refuse. This reached the point where they lost their rights as citizens and in some cases, lost their lives.
Slide of the Altar of Zeus
The god, Asklepios (Asclepius) was very big in Pergamos. This was the ‘god of healing’. When a person went to the temple of Asklepios they would be going there for healing. The symbol of their healing god was the snake. A person would go into the temple and lie down on the floor for the night. Thousands of harmless snakes slithered all over the floor as they crawled over the person they supposedly infused healing into the body.
If you have ever noticed the medical symbol, a pole with a snake winding around it, this is where it came from . Does it sound Satanic? Yes. Re 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Asklepios – (Asclepius) the Satanic snake god, The altar and throne of Zeus, a pagan, Satanic god and the worship of Caesar, a Satanic practice … this was where Satan was basing his earthly operations.
- An interesting side note: In the 1880’s (just over a hundred years ago) a German archaeologist working in Pergamos uncovered the remains of the throne/altar of Zeus. I don’t know why he would be permitted to do this, but he took all of the pieces (which were remarkably in good condition) to East Berlin and reassembled it there. It was opened as Pergamonmuseum in 1930. The ‘Seat of Satan’ was opened in the same city as Hitler used for his head quarters. Is there any connection?
Antipas was put to death in Pergamos. Jesus calls him “My faithful witness”. The greek word for ‘witness’ is μαρτυς (martus mar’-toos) from which we get the English word martyr. It is interesting how the meaning of the word has changed. Originally it meant ‘a witness’. Jesus calls him ‘My faithful witness’. After a time the word became synonymous with ‘one who gives his life for the cause’. Why? Because this seems to be what happened to all faithful witnesses.
We are not given any details as to who this man was (is) but the fact that he was taken and became what many believe was the first martyr under the Roman persecution in Asia, it is very likely he had been ‘the angel’ of the church at Pergamos.
* slide of Antipas martyrdom.
Historical tradition says that he lost his life here on earth as he was put into a hollow brass ox under which a fire was built.
His name means, ‘like the father’ or ‘against all’. I am not sure which definition is correct. Either one are really fitting for him. How wonderful it would be to said of us (symbolically, of course) he or she, has his father’s eyes. If the second definition is correct … he lived up to his name and stood ‘against all’ the corruption in Pergamos.
He had to stand ‘against all’ the compromise that was happening within the church as well. Jesus says, I have a few things against you (the Pergamos church).
Here are two that are mentioned:
- You have some people in the Pergamos church who are following the doctrine of Balaam.
The plot worked. And God had to bring a ‘plague’ (a sword) against them and 24,000 Israelites died as a result.
For the doctrine of Balaam to be practiced in Pergamos it would look a little different. It would not look like it did in the Old Testament with the Israelites all neatly camped and arranged by tribe down in the plain. No, this was a church living in a city and some of the people were being affected like God’s people in the time of Balaam.
As I mentioned at the beginning, Satan has two lines of attack. Opposition and/or infiltration or we could say Intimidation or enticement.
It is the latter method that is affecting the church in Pergamos. Just as the Israelite men were marrying heathen women, this is exactly what was happening here.
John McArthur comments like this;
“The doctrine of Balaam is the teaching that the people of God can inter marry with the heathen and thus will become what the heathen are. There were some people in this church saying it's okay to inter marry, inter mingle with the pagan system. We are not to be separate, we are not to be aliens, we're to inter marry with unbelievers, we're to get involved in life around us, mixing the old patterns, the old morals, or lack of, the old idolatry with the new Christianity. Of course our Lord had called for a clean break but always there are the seducers, always there are those who come in and want to get God's people to break from the separation and mingle with the world. God absolutely condemned such a union in Israel and here the Lord Jesus Christ condemns such a union in Pergamos.
We're reminded of 2 Corinthians 6 where Paul says, "What fellowship has light with darkness, what concord has Christ with Belial? Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." But here there were some people in the church saying you can be a Christian and worship idols, you can be a Christian and commit fornication with a heathen priest, priestess at the temple. You can go to the debauchery and the orgies and the festivals and the feasts and still come here and pay your homage to Jesus. They were teaching that.”
John McArthur
2. Here is the second thing that Jesus had against this church, "You have some people in the church who are accepting the teachings of the Nicolaitans."
If the definition of Nicolaitan is Nicos (to conquer) and Laos (people) then what we have in Pergamos is the beginning of a class of people that are above the others of the church. It is the beginning of ‘clergy and laity’. It is the beginning of Elders beginning to rule, not as servants, but as those in authority. The power they imagined that they had was going to their heads and corrupting them. This would be the early beginnings of a priesthood who would dominate people, form a ‘union’ of priests that would dominate people for centuries.
The Apostle Peter said this about the priesthood of all believers;
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 1Pe 2:9
And John said in Re 5:10 And (You) have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth."
Toleration – (Slide of the church structure in Pergamos)
The charge against the church is two-fold. Stop tolerating deviant behaviour in the church. Paul said that a little leaven would affect the whole ‘lump’. Purge out the old leaven, he said. And if you are one of the ones condoning and joining in practicing the ways of the world, quit! And if you are ‘ruling’ the people and treating them as a lesser class of people than you are … quit!
16 ‘Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.
17 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it ."’
What is it that overcomes the world? for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 1 John 5:4
As Christians we have both a ‘standing’ and a ‘walk.’
Our standing (our salvation) is secure. We are saved by grace through faith.
Ro 5:2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Our ‘walk’ (our daily lives from here until the time we meet Jesus) is to be a walk of committed faith.
2Co 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.
Overcomers: Eat of the hidden manna. Christ is the bread of life. When we walk by faith as overcomers He promises that we will have a close union with Him as He had with the Father: John 4:32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about."
The white Stone – No one seems to really know what this represents, but to seems certain that to be given a secret name by Jesus speaks of intimacy and fellowship beyond anything we can imagine.
Thyatira – the Depths of Satan
What was beginning to happen in Pergamos church had come to ‘full bloom’ in Thyatira
This letter shows how far compromise with the world will go.
The church is commended in regards to their deeds, their love and faith, their service and perseverance, and the fact that they were now doing more than they did at first. But, as we saw in the diagram of what a church in a city looked like, a part of this church was totally corrupt.
The practice of debauchery is labelled as ‘tolerating that woman, Jezebel’.
Tolerating sin in the church is the issue.
The (his)story of Jezebel I Kings 16:31 - II Kings 9:37. This is the account of a marriage between King Ahab of Israel and a non-Israelite woman, daughter of a foreign king. Jezebel brought with her to Israel, her foreign god, Baal and her gentile morals, in direct opposition of Israel’s clear instructions regarding Godly living. She was in conflict with God’s prophet, Elijah, who ultimately prophesied her death and the death of her husband, Ahab. He said that she would be eaten by dogs, and that dogs would lick up the blood of Ahab. This prophecy came true in a very literal sense.
There is an expression that was popular a number of years ago, and used mainly by parents who were losing control of the dress and appearance of their teenage daughter. It went something like this, “You are dressing like a Jezebel!” Jezebel may have been a very attractive woman. She is the one of the only woman in scripture who is mentioned as using makeup.
One day, in her city, a watchman on the wall above the city gate made the announcement that someone was coming. He said, judging from the way he is driving, it’s the prophet Jehu. When Jezebel heard who it was she got dolled up and looked out of her upstairs window. Jehu paused below the window … then he called out … “Is there anyone here on the Lord’s side?” Two men stuck their heads out the window and volunteered. Then Jehu said, “Throw her out of the window.” They did it. Then Jehu went into town for a drink. After a while he told someone to go clean up the mess, after all, she is a king’s daughter. The cleanup crew found that dogs had eater her and all that was left was her skull and her hands and feet.
Well, that’s the quick version. You can read the details yourself sometime.
I doubt very much that the woman in the Thyatira church was actually called Jezebel.
In the book of Acts (16:14) you can read about a woman living in Philippi, Macedonia, who had previously come from Thyatira. She worked with textiles and was a seller of purple cloth (which likely had come from Thyatira). The city was the smallest of all seven that are being addressed. It’s industry was largely in textiles. There is no mention of temples built to any of the gods, however the people, like most people of the day, were polytheists. Thyatira had developed ‘guilds’. A fairly close comparison to how they worked and the effect they had on daily life would be to compare them to trade unions of today. Many unions have a ‘swearing in’ ceremony when a person joins. If you defy your union, you might find yourself in a difficult position regarding finding new employment. The guilds were like that, but additionally each guild would feature one of the gods. Members of a guild often projected lifestyles that agreed to the understanding they had of their god.
Jezebel was a church member. She was influential and had been so for a while. We read of ‘second generation’ Jezebelites (v23). The church people are being influenced to sexual immorality and idolatry.
How did this woman operate? We don’t know for sure, but here are two of the issues of the day:
The teachings of the Gnostics – They taught that the flesh is evil and there is no cure for it. The mind can be elevated through knowledge. The more knowledge, the closer you are to God. In this teaching it did not matter what you did with your body. Another name for this is ‘Dualism’. This teaching was very prominent and found its way into the early church.
The teachings of the Libertines – It went something like this; Jesus paid for our sins, past present and future, therefore we are forgiven of all sins we might ever commit. (This is a lie. True, Jesus paid for the sins of the world … but people are not forgiven unless they repent and confess. I John 1:9,10) The Libertines had perverted grace into total permissiveness. (Jude 1:4)
The woman (Jezebel) in Thyatira may have had a mixture of the two. There is a comment in verse 24 that hints at getting into the deep things (of Satan). Perhaps that is an influence of Gnosticism. Read Romans 16:19. Notice that the Apostle Paul is saying that he wants believers to be WISE concerning truth and Godliness, but SIMPLE in relation to evil.
In no sense are we ever encouraged to study Satanism.
Do we have elements of the above heresies that are present in today’s churches? Yes, very much so. The writer of the novel, ‘The Shack’ promotes the idea that the whole world is forgiven.
Do we have pressures put on us today that affect where we can be employed?
This woman in Thyatira called herself a ‘prophetess’ – do we have those today who claim to be God’s prophets or prophetesses, but who really are not?
Do we have a course of action that can deliver us or safeguard us from these errors?
The answer will be in your extra study for this week.
The Warning: Death. God wants a pure church. Remember what happened to Ananias and Sapphira? Our part in this? I Corinthians 5.5. God’s part? I John 5:16
The church is encouraged to hold on to what they still have (v25).
The Promise to overcomers: Rule and reign with Christ during the coming millennium. Will be given the ‘morning star’ (see 22:16).
Extra Study
Please read and analyse and comment on II Timothy 2:15 and 3:16,17