LETTER TO THE CHURCH IN THYATIRA (verses 18-29)

This is the longest of the seven letters and the Lord has much to say to the church in Thyatira. Let’s begin Revelation, chapter 2, verse 18: "And 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:

[Verse 19] "I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first.

[Verse 20] “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.

[Verse 21] “And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.

[Verse 22]“Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds.

[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 to each one of you according to your works.

[Verse 24] “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.

[Verse 25] “But hold fast what you have till I come.

[Verse 26] “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—

[Verse 27] “‘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;

[Verse 28] “…and I will give him the morning star.

[Verse 29] “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

A Reminder

You might be reminded of the order in which these letters are written. First of all, we see a consistency in each one of them where the Lord does sort of a self-designation, and then He will have some commendation to make, or some condemnation, as the case may be. Then He will make some promises, give some exhortations and then He will close out the letter. As we said in the Introduction, this is consistent throughout each of these letters. Even though they are written to seven different churches, they were not sent out separately as separate epistles, but rather contained in this one volume.

An Introduction to the City of Thyatira

Thyatira was not a very important city in its day. It was referred to as a “frontier town.” It was in decline in the latter part of 100 and 200 BC, but in the middle part of AD 100, Emperor Claudius, the emperor of Rome, began to revive this city as a center of trade and manufacturing. It seems to have been the center of a number of Trade Guilds. As a matter of fact, there are several which have been identified, both through written history and in excavations of this area. There were people who were involved in the trades of the making of dye, in cloth manufacturing, in the making of pottery, in brass making, as well as other trades. They were members of Trade Associations, or what we refer to today as Trade Unions. In fact, they say that more than, perhaps, any other ancient city, there may have been more Guilds, or Trade Associations, here in Thyatira than in any other city in the area of Asia.

Let me ask a question: Do we know of anyone else who we read about in the pages of the New Testament who was associated with this city? Does it ring a bell to you? How about in Acts, chapter 16, verse 14, a woman named Lydia? Do you remember where she was from? She was a seller of purple and she was from Thyatira. Well, there is a bit of a connection. She was involved, apparently, in one of the trade activities that this area was known for. Of course, we know from reading Acts, chapter 16, when Paul was in Philippi, that she became a Christian—she and her household. She was apparently there in Philippi on business-related matters, we assume. [Acts 16:14-15: “Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.’ So she persuaded us.”]

As part of their fellowship and association together, these Guilds or Associations would have common meals. These meals were often held in some temple or in some other area where sacrifices were made to a patron god or goddess. Each one of the Trade Guilds had a god or a goddess that they worshiped that was associated with their trade. As they had these meetings and made these sacrifices, often drunken revelry would accompany these feasts.