Thyatira: The Undiscerning Church
(Rev. 2:18-29)

I. The Church (v. 18)
A. John addressed the Church at Pergamum (v. 18)
a. Thyatira was a smaller city than the previous churches (doorway to Pergamum).
b. Known for being a military outpost and had many guilds or labor unions.
c. Produced leather and linen goods and purple dye (Lydia is from this city Acts 16:14-15).
d. Not overtly religious, its main temple was to Apollo. An apostate Jewish priestess, Sambethe was also active in the city.
B. John addresses the church with an ominous tone (18b).

II. The Commendation (v. 19)
A. They church was commended for four areas of excellence. The first two are motives, the latter two are actions.
a. Love (agape) they loved God and the body.
1. While love may involve emotions, agape love is not an emotion, it is an action.
2. Agape love is a steadfast commitment to the well-being of another person, regardless of how the other person my respond. (Mt. 5:43-46)
b. Faith (pistis) they demonstrated faithfulness. Faith and love often go hand in hand. (1 Cor. 13:2; Col. 1:4; 2 Thes. 1:3; 2 Tim. 1:13)
c. Service (diakonia) ministry acts to others.
d. Perseverance (hypomonē) endurance or patience when pressured.

III. The Correction (v. 20-23)
A. While other churches faced external challenges, this church was threatened from within by two major issues:
a. The church allowed a woman (like Jezebel) to function in the office of a teaching elder. The O.T. Jezebel was marked by the following and only men may function as elders in the church:
1. Baal worshipper (1 Kings 16:31)
2. Killed Israel’s prophets. (18:4)
3. Harassed Elijah the prophet(19:2)
4. Had Naboth killed on false charges to take his land (21:1-16)
5. A Woman of exceeding wickedness (21:25)
6. Died a horrible death (2 Kings 9:30-37)
7. Only biblically qualified men may serve in the office or function of the elder Pastor-Teacher in the church. (1 Tim. 3:1-3; 1 Tim. 2:11-14)
b. The church allowed the woman (Jezebel) to teach false doctrine, leading Christians astray.

B. Jesus pronounced temporal judgment on the unrepentant. (v.21-23)
a. Judgment penalties could include:
1. Excommunication- Being band from the local church may become necessary. (1Cor. 5; Matt. 18:17)
2. Temporal Punishment- God’s temporal punishment for the believer is always corrective rather than punitive. Hebrews 6 states that if believers refuse to grow up, they will forfeit the benefits of a maturity, namely discernment and the capacity to handle life’s issues.
3. Loss of rewards- The believer may forfeit what could have been his at the judgment seat of Christ Bema (1 Cor. 3:10-15).
4. Physical illness or death- in some cases, God allows physical infirmaries or death to be a form of temporal discipline. (1 Cor. 11:30; 1 John 5:16)

IV. The Charge (v. 24-29)
A. To the faithful in the church, hold on to what you have. (v.24-25)
a. Those who have not believed in dualism leading to sin (matter is evil, spirit is good).
b. Those who have not ventured into the devil’s playground thinking themselves to be unaffected.
B. Holding fast to the truth brings recognition and rewards to the overcomers. (v. 26-29)
a. The right to rule over the nations (both positively and punitively during the kingdom age.) (v. 26-27)
b. They will receive the morning star. [2 Pet. 1:19; Rev. 22:16] (v.28)

Point to Ponder:
1. Jesus’ point is get busy about getting ready for His kingdom and your place in it. Look to rewards and the kingdom and not on the pleasures or pain of a fleeting life.

John F. MacArthur, Revelation 1–11, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 96.
Ibid., 99.
R. C. Sproul, Everyone’s a Theologian: An Introduction to Systematic Theology (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2014), 273.
John Frame, “May Women Teach Adult Sunday School Classes?” Online. Accessed Dec. 2, 2017. https://frame-poythress.org/may-women-teach-adult-sunday-school-classes/.
MacArthur, MNTC, 100.
John F. Walvoord, “Revelation,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 937.
MacArthur, MNTC, 104.
Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Study Bible (Nashville: Holman Bible, 2019), 1512.