Day 7 of Revelation Study: Thyatira

And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: “The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.”

Revelation 2:18

Jesus Knows Our Sins

Do you remember in the first Lord of the Rings film when Gandalf threw the envelope with the ring into the fireplace? Do you recall what happened to the ring? The fire revealed the elvish writing that had always been there but, until then, was hidden. Christ’s eyes are like a flame of fire. They purify and reveal the truth. They open what is concealed. They bring to light what is hidden in darkness.

He tells this church that He knows both their good works and the evil that they are allowing to remain in their midst. They are tolerating known practices of sexual immorality that is going on within their own congregation. What began as someone’s “private” sin has progressed into a churchwide seduction. This church failed to recognize that no sin is a private matter. All sin, no matter how its enacted, is like a bomb going off near a crowd of people and blowing shrapnel in every direction.

Notice the progression among the letters. Smyrna was about to suffer persecution, so God then told them about the faith in Pergamum to encourage them to be strong. God told Pergamum He was giving them time to repent. He then immediately presents them with an example of a church that has continually refused God’s gift of repentance and is now so far into sin that God’s judgment is almost certain. This is the church we are talking about — Thyatira.

·         The Church in Thyatira (2:18-29)

• They were praised for their works.
• They were rebuked for tolerating false teaching which led many of the members into sexual immorality.
• They were commanded to repent of their immorality.
• They were warned that if they did not repent, then God would bring great tribulation and death upon them.
• They were exhorted to hold fast to the faith and to continue living it out.
• They were informed of future authority which would be given to them if they were faithful here in this world.

Jesus Knows Our Faithfulness

However, even though there is rampant sin taking place within this church body, Jesus knows each one who is faithful because He searches the mind and heart of every individual. To them, the faithful few, He will allow to rule with great authority over the nations during the future millennial kingdom. It says in 2:27 of the one who conquers that “…he will rule them with a rod of iron….” This is a direct parallel to Christ’s eternally universal rule and reign which is mentioned in Revelation 19:15.

This tells us that those who conquer will be like miniature versions of Christ. We will rule just like Him as we represent His authority to the nations. In the same way that the Father gave Christ all authority, so too will Christ give us authority in His kingdom.

What is this “morning star” that Jesus speaks of? It is not a what, but a who. Jesus is Himself the Morning Star, as is seen in Revelation 22:16. What Jesus promises to give those who conquer is Himself. More than anything else in all of creation, we need Him the most; and He gives us Himself freely.

Continue on to read about the church in Sardis.

*Click here to read the purpose of this blog series.