Revelation 2:18-29: Thyatira

Introduction:

Sexual sin is one of the most devastating sins for collateral damage. I was once in a church where the pastor committed adultery. One year later there was a guest speaker who addressed the issue of holiness and gave opportunity for those in sin to be prayed for, 95% of the church were involved in some sort of sexual sin. Sexual tolerance is the sin that Thyatira are rebuked for.

Thyatira was an unimportant town and its main reason for existence was economic with a large amount of industry represented by the many trade guilds in the town. It had once been a military outpost but found its reason for existence in commerce. Lydia, the seller of purple cloth was from Thyatira, dyes along with metalwork, fabric, bakers, cobblers, tanners, potters were some of the main industries. Despite this being the most unimportant town they receive the longest of the seven letters and the matter of tolerating false teaching that revolves around sex and idolatry is at the heart of it.

The letter opens with a description of Christ as judge to intervene in this situation, ‘”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.’ The description of Christ in this verse reminds us of Psalm 2. There we see the King of Israel as God’s son, and he will judge the nations and rule them with a rod of iron. He has eyes like a flame of fire to see all sin and from whose eyes nothing are hidden, and who has feet like burnished bronze for treading the wicked underfoot.