The letter to the church in Thyatira commends them for their increasing love, faith, service, and perseverance. However, it condemns them for tolerating the false prophetess Jezebel, who was leading people into sexual immorality and idolatry. If the people in Thyatira did not repent of following her teachings, God would judge them with sickness and death. The letter encourages those who did not follow the false teachings to remain faithful until Christ's return, promising them authority over the nations.

2. ―To the angel of
the church in
Thyatira write…‖
The corrupt church

3. The Letter to Thyatira
―And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has
eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this: ‗I know
your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your
deeds of late are greater than at first. But I have this against you, that you
tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and
leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat
things sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to
repent of her immorality. Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those
who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her
deeds. And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that
I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you
according to your deeds. But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do
not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call
them—I place no other burden on you. Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until
I come. He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will
give authority over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the
vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority 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.‖ (Revelation 2:18–29)

4. General Background on Thyatira
• Half way between Pergamum and
Sardis
• Under Roman rule for three
centuries
• Was a center of wool and dyeing of
cloth. A center of trade guilds (much
like unions, today)
• ―A woman named Lydia, from the
city of Thyatira, a seller of purple
fabrics, a worshiper of God, was
listening; and the Lord opened her
heart to respond to the things
spoken by Paul. ‖ (Acts 16:14)

5. The Description of Christ
―The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and
His feet are like burnished bronze, says this‖
(Revelation 2:18)
His eyes indicate a penetrating gaze that finds
the truth and knows those who are His: ―For
the eyes of the Lord move to and fro
throughout the earth that He may strongly
support those whose heart is completely His.‖
(2 Chronicles 16:9)
Kings in ancient times sat on elevated thrones,
so those being judged would always be beneath
the king‘s feet. The feet of a king thus came to
symbolize his authority. Glowing feet indicate
judgment.

6. The Description of Christ
―The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and
His feet are like burnished bronze, says this‖
(Revelation 2:18)
The ‗eyes like a flame of fire‘ and
‗feet…like burnished bronze‘ may also
allude to attributes of the local god
Tyrimnos, identified with the Greek
sun gods Helios and Apollo.
The title ‗Son of God‘ appears only
here in the book of Revelation.

7. The Commendation
―I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service
and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater
than at first.‖ (Revelation 2:19)
Thyatira was the opposite of
Ephesus, who had grown cold in love
and whose deeds paled to what
works they showed in the beginning.
Thyatira showed progress and
maturity in that their faith was
evidenced by works that were
growing. The same should be true of
every Christian.

8. The Condemnation
―But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel,
who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-
servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things
sacrificed to idols.‖ (Revelation 2:20)
Christ condemns what was evidently
a rampant immorality in the church
that was spearheaded by a
prominent female figure that Jesus
likens to the Old Testament
character of Jezebel.
The specific deeds called out are
spiritual adultery and the worship of
idols signified by the eating of things
sacrificed to them.

9. “you tolerate the woman Jezebel…”
The singular pronoun points this
admonition especially at the leader
of the church.
The Greek term ‗tolerate‘ simply
means ‗let go‘ and ‗allow‘. The main
complaint Jesus had against the
church was that they were allowing a
false teacher to parade her teaching
and practices in their midst, with the
end result being some being led
astray. We need to remember that
the church is not to be a home for
false teaching.

10. ―It came about, as though it had been a trivial thing for him
[Ahab] to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat,
that he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the
Sidonians, and went to serve Baal and worshiped him.‖
(1 Kings 16:31)
―Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do
evil in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife incited
him.‖ (1 Kings 21:25)
―When Joram saw Jehu, he said, ―Is it peace, Jehu?‖ And
he answered, ―What peace, so long as the harlotries of your
mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?‖‖
(2 Kings 9:22)

11. “who calls herself a prophetess…”
The word ―prophetess‖ is only used in the
New Testament here and in Luke 2:36 to
speak of Anna – it means one who
interprets oracles. The easiest way to
justify false teaching is to make the claim that
you are a prophet from God and that the
things that you advocate and teach have
come directly from Him.
This is a pattern that has repeated over and
over again in history.
False prophet
False authority
False god, gospel, and Messiah

12. “And She Teaches and Leads…”
One thing that the church also
evidently permitted was the teaching
of women over the male leadership of
the body, violating the Biblical
mandate: ―But I do not allow a
woman to teach or exercise authority
over a man‖ (1 Timothy 2:12).
Can a woman teach and lead in the
Church? Absolutely. Are the gifts
of the Spirit given to women as well
as men? Absolutely. However, due
to Adam following Eve in spiritual
instruction, the Church is to not
have women teaching men.

13. What was Jezebel’s Teaching?
―she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that
they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to
idols.‖ (Revelation 2:20)
The term immorality is ―porneuo‖ (where we get
‗pornography‘), which means to fornicate. While
the reference certainly includes spiritual
adultery, the possibility of cultic fornication
cannot be ruled out. The combination of food
sacrificed to idols" with "sexual immorality" may
refer to the common practice of participating in
the sacrificial meal of the pagan gods (cf. 1Cor
10:19-22) and indulging in sexual intercourse
with temple priestesses in cult prostitution. The
worship of Baal back in Jezebel‘s day involved
intercourse with temple prostitutes.

14. ―For this is the will of God, your
sanctification; that is, that you abstain from
sexual immorality‖
(1 Thessalonians 4:3)

15. The Children of God Cult
David Berg gave birth to the
Children of God cult (also known as
‗The Family‘), which practiced
rampant sexual immorality. He and
his followers advocated a technique
called ‗flirty fishing‘ where their
members would entice non-members
into the cult by having sex with them.
They sometimes referred to these
people as ―hookers for Jesus‖.
When allegations of sexual child
abuse surfaced, the cult dwindled in
size. Berg‘s son also ended up
committing suicide.

16. ―What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed
to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?
No, but I say that the things which the
Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons
and not to God; and I do not want you to
become sharers in demons. You cannot drink
the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons;
you cannot partake of the table of the Lord
and the table of demons. ‖
(1 Corinthians 10:19–21)

17. Keep the Door Closed on Demonic Influence
―A lot of folks dabble in the occult, or they will be involved in practices
that … classical Christianity at least would consider to be
idolatrous. People can get themselves involved in Wicca, or people
will go see some sort of fortune-teller, or people will go to a séance, or
they can go and they can learn how to channel spirits. . . .Demons are
always looking for human beings . . .‖
- Gary Thomas, Catholic Exorcist

18. The State of Fallen Unbelievers
―I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to
repent of her immorality.‖
―This is the judgment, that the Light has
come into the world, and men loved the
darkness rather than the Light, for their
deeds were evil.‖
(John 3:19)
―The rest of mankind, who were not killed by
these plagues, did not repent of the works of
their hands, so as not to worship demons,
and the idols of gold and of silver and of
brass and of stone and of wood, which can
neither see nor hear nor walk‖
(Revelation 9:20)

19. ―What if God, although willing to demonstrate
His wrath and to make His power known,
endured with much patience vessels of wrath
prepared for destruction? And He did so to
make known the riches of His glory upon
vessels of mercy, which He prepared
beforehand for glory‖
(Romans 9:22–23)

20. The Judgment on Sin
―Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those
who commit adultery with her into great tribulation,
unless they repent of her deeds.‖
―Of sickness‖ is supplied as a reading
help in the NASB. Because the false
prophetess in Thyatira was evidently
committing adultery in a bed, Christ was
going to judge her on a bed.
Even though some of the church
members were led astray by the fake
prophetess, they were going to be
judged unless they changed the path
they were on.

21. The Judgment on Sin
―And I will kill her children with pestilence.‖
―Her children‖ likely refers to her
spiritual children/proselytes vs. her
biological children. The word
―pestilence‖ is literally ―death‖.
―For he who eats and drinks, eats
and drinks judgment to himself if he
does not judge the body rightly. For
this reason many among you are
weak and sick, and a number sleep. ‖
(1 Corinthians 11:29–30)

22. The Realization of the Judgment
―and all the churches will know that I am He who
searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each
one of you according to your deeds.‖
―For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro
throughout the earth that He may strongly
support those whose heart is completely His.
You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from
now on you will surely have wars.‖
(2 Chronicles 16:9)
We are not saved according to our works, but
we are rewarded according to our deeds,
whether good or bad. People‘s deeds reveal
their spiritual condition. That is what James
meant when he said, ―I will show you my faith by
my works‖ (James 2:18).

23. ―At night my soul longs for You, Indeed, my
spirit within me seeks You diligently; For when
the earth experiences Your judgments The
inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. ‖
(Isaiah 26:9)

24. The Exhortation
―But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold
this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as
they call them—I place no other burden on you. ‗Nevertheless
what you have, hold fast until I come.‖
Not everyone in Thyatira was caught up
in sinful behavior and false teaching.
All false teaching can be traced back to
Satan; he is the origin of all false doctrine
and heretical teaching. All false teaching
can be traced back to the physical origin
of Babylon: ―Stand fast now in your
spells And in your many sorceries With
which you have labored from your youth‖
(Isaiah 47:12–13)

25. ―On her forehead a name was written,
a mystery, ―BABYLON THE
GREAT, THE MOTHER
OF HARLOTS AND OF
THE ABOMINATIONS OF
THE EARTH.‖ ‖
(Revelation 17:5)

26. ―People ask me all the time
‗Do you think there are a
lot of Satanic religions
around today?‘ and I say
‗Yes, every religion that is
not Christianity is
Satanic.‖
- John MacArthur

27. The Exhortation
―But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold
this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as
they call them—I place no other burden on you. ‗Nevertheless
what you have, hold fast until I come.‖
―Hold fast‖ is literally ―adhere
strongly to‖. Christ commands his
followers to strongly cling to the truth
that they have and not to turn loose
of it.
―Until I come‖ could refer to His
coming for the church, or His coming
in judgment upon the others. The
former is probably the correct
interpretation.

28. The Promise
―He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end,
to him I will give authority over the nations‖ (Revelation 2:26)
―Overcome‖ (nikao) means to be the
‗victor‘; ‗conquer‘. The overcomers in the
New Testament are believers: ―For
whatever is born of God overcomes the
world; and this is the victory that has
overcome the world—our faith. ‖
(1 John 5:4)
―Keeps my deeds until the end‖ references
the perseverance of the saints – an
indicator of true salvation. ―My deeds‖ is in
contrast to Jezebel‘s deeds.

29. ―Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and
acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his
house on the rock. ―And the rain fell, and the floods came,
and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet
it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
―Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not
act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on
the sand. ―The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds
blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great
was its fall.‖
(Matthew 7:24–27)

30. The Promise
―He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end,
to him I will give authority over the nations‖ (Revelation 2:26)
Christ promises believers who are faithful that
they will join Him in His millennial rule. The
word in verse 27 translated ―rule‖ (poimanei)
means ―to shepherd,‖ indicating that they will
not simply be administering justice but will also,
like a shepherd using his rod, be dealing with his
sheep and protecting them as well. Though
Psalm 2:9 refers to Christ‘s rule, John‘s
quotation of it here relates the ruling
(shepherding) to the believer who overcomes.
Believers will have authority just as Christ
does.

31. “And I will give him the morning star”
What is the morning star? The last
chapter of Revelation gives us the
answer: ―I, Jesus, have sent My
angel to testify to you these things
for the churches. I am the root and
the descendant of David, the bright
morning star.‖ (Revelation 22:16).
Jesus says He will give the
overcomers Himself and they will
know Him fully: ―For now we see in a
mirror dimly, but then face to face;
now I know in part, but then I will
know fully just as I also have been
fully known. ‖ (1 Corinthians 13:12).

32. A command to Hear
―He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to
the churches.‖ (Revelation 2:29)
This phrase is repeated each time in Christ‘s
address to the seven churches of Revelation. In
the gospels (it is never used in John), it is
always used to highlight radical truths, great
principles, and promises.
Note that Jesus says it is the Spirit speaking
to the churches, even though He is the actual
one talking: ―All Scripture is inspired by God
and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, for training in righteousness‖
(2 Timothy 3:16)

33. What Happened to Thyatira?
• The letter was written at the end of the first century.
• By the end of the second century there was no church
in Thyatira, it was gone; out of existence.

34. Conclusions
• This letter reveals the seriousness of practicing and
tolerating sin, and that God will judge continued,
unrepentant sin in the church. They weren't grievous wolves
from the outside, they were perverse people on the inside.
• We should not ‗tolerate‘ any sin or false teaching either in
the Church or our individual lives
• A pattern of obedience is a mark of true Christians; true
believers will one day be rewarded and reign with Christ

35. ―To the angel of
the church in
Thyatira write…‖
The corrupt church