Thyatira; The Adulterous Church

• The destination of the letter: Unlike some of the other cities Jesus addresses, the city was not known for its grandeur, culture, or learning. But it was known for its commerce.
• The designation of the Lord: Rev. 2:18
– The Son of God: Authority
– The All-Seeing God: Knowledge (John 2:24)
– Feet like fine brass: Judgment (Deut. 28:23)
• Thyatira was a…
– Laboring church
– Loyal church
– Longsuffering church
– Maturing, Progressing, Growing Church
• There more recent works, Jesus said, are more than the first. In other words, this was a church that was maturing, progressing and growing-a church making progress in sanctification. While this was a commendable church in many respects, that in which they were failing overshadowed the good.
• “If the devil cannot conquer the church by the application of political pressure or the propagation of intellectual heresy, he will try the insinuation of moral evil. This was the dragon’s strategy in Thyatira.”-John Stott
• The woman Jezebel
– Wife of Ahab
– Priestess of Ashtaroth, (a.k.a. Aphrodite and Venus)
– Persuaded Ahab to build a temple, supported 850 false prophets, and systematically killed the prophets of God. Elijah ran for his life from her.
• The Message to the Cult: Rev. 2:21-23
• The Message to the Christians: Rev. 2:24-25 (keep on doing what you’re doing)
• The Message to the Conquerors: Rev. 2:26-29
– The right to rule and reign with Christ
– Possession of the Morning Star
– “I Jesus…am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.”-Rev.22:16