REVELATION STUDY NOTES (Pt.6)

 The Letter To Thyatira

- And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (Revelation 2:18-29) -



Thyatira is a small town today, with a population of around thirty thousand. In New Testament times it was at the juncture of three roads that lead to Pergamos, Smyrna, and Sardis. So it was a frontier fortress in regard to those important roads. Originally Thyatira was a Lydian town bearing the name of Pelopia, then Semiramis, and then Euhippia. However the clue to Thyatira's real spiritual meaning is revealed in one of its previous names... Samiramis. And who was she? The wife of Nimrod and the mother of Tammuz. These three are the core trinity in the Babylonian mystery religion. All paganism and idol worship has its roots in the Babylonian legends surrounding Nimrod, Samiramis, and Tammuz. So I think the fact that this town had Samiramis as its name for a time is significant. So like the previous areas, it was taken by the Persians, then Alexander the Great, ultimately falling into the possession of Lysimachus... one of Alexander's four generals after he died. In 301 B.C. Lysimachus is defeated by one of his rivals Seleucus I (Nicator), and Thyatira becomes part of Syria. The word "Thyatira" is the word "thygator" which suggests daughter. Nicator chose this name upon being informed that a daughter had been born to him.

So this is a bit of a review... Cyrus conquers Babylon, the Babylonian priests and treasurers move to Pergamos. There the king takes the title "Pontifex Maximus," the high priest of that pagan system. Rome over takes Greece and the cult moves from Pergamos to Rome. The appointed Caesars take the title Pontifex Maximus for themselves as they were also appointed high priests until 378 A.D. Then Damascus the Bishop of Rome completed the absorption of Babylonianism into the Church of Rome and took the title for himself.

 Constantine becomes a Christian, moves the capital of Rome to Byzantium to try and put distance between he and the paganism. He makes Christianity legal. He favors Christians in courts, advances them to high offices, bans crucifixions as a method of execution, assumes headship of the church, and designates Sunday as a national day of worship. So the marriage between the church and the world is consummated. Then along comes Julian (the Apostate) who seeks to restore paganism to the limelight but he only lasts a few years. Jovian comes along afterward and restores Christianity. Then comes Theodosius who makes Christianity the state religion. This was one of the worst things that could have happened. Now there are forced conversions which fill the churches with the unregenerate, heathenism, pomp, and those ambitious to rule. Heathen festivals were converted into Christian ones.

Pagan priests slipped into office as Christian priests, and almost all changes were simply nomenclature. What persecution could not accomplish, the marriage to the world did. Satan switched tactics...

- And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; (Revelation 2:18) -

These things saith the Son of God. This is the only mentioning of this specific title in the book of Revelation. I'm going to suggest that this is in direct opposition to the Queen of Heaven, and the Babylonian theme prevalent in this letter. Who hath His eyes like unto a flame of fire, and His feet are like fine brass... When you see the word "like" that means this is a simile. It does not say that His eyes "were" fire, but "like" fire. So the fire and brass described here are not literal. However, these eyes are eyes of consuming fire... these are the eyes of judgment. Feet of brass speaks of a walk of sacrifice and judgment. This is the Lord's approach to Thyatira. Inspection, judgment, and sacrifice.

- I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. (Revelation 2:19) -

Again, He knows our works. He is fully informed... and lets keep in mind that the Lord commends these works. This was a wonderful compliment, nevertheless there are serious concerns.

- Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. (Revelation 2:20) -

Notice the Lord does not say that Jezebel was a prophetess, but that she calls herself a prophetess. The word "fornication" obviously speaks of sexual immorality, and on a local level that may have been exactly what was going on. But this term is also used throughout the Old and New Testament to refer to idolatry. Having intimacy with a false god is fornication in God's eyes. However, the problem here is not Jezebel... but the church's condoning of Jezebel. Just as with Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19. The sin that brought judgment was not homosexuality, but the public's wide spread condoning of it.

- And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. (Revelation 2:21,22) -

The Lord has given her (Jezebel) time to repent and she remains unrepentant. This means that she was capable of repentance at some previous point in time. The Holy Spirit was there, she was given all the time she needed, she had full knowledge of her sin and need for repentance... but she refused. So the Lord is going to cast her into a bed. The word "bed" is the Greek word "kline." This is basically a slanted couch or sickbed. People of God, once this Jezebel (or whatever it is that she represents) is cast into the sickbed it's final. The window for repentance has past and the door is forever closed. "I gave her space to repent," past tense. As the Lord Himself has cast her into this bed, it is He and only He that can take her up again... and the method by which this would happen would involve repentance. You see, it is not that there is no longer any medicine for the one that is sick... but the one in sickness has become bitter, hardened, absolutely rejecting any medication insomuch that the physician finally stops offering it.

This is the first time Jesus uses the phrase "great tribulation" in this book as well. Those who become intimately involved with Jezebel, or what she represents will be cast into great tribulation. That is of course, unless their is repentance for the deeds connected to Jezebel. This implies that those who turn away and separate themselves from her will not go into great tribulation.

Beloved, I believe the tribulation being referred to here is not the general tribulation/persecution promised to all believers... but something different. Jesus said that we would have tribulation in the world.

- These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) -

Jesus says the He will cast those who commit fornication with her into great tribulation. This also implies that the casting has not happened yet, and is a future event. Furthermore, nowhere does Jesus ever state that repentance would keep us from tribulation while we are in the world. Yet here is a distinct tribulation that can be avoided through heartfelt repentance... I believe the tribulation that can be avoided here is none other than the great tribulation spoken of in this book. That being stated, there appear to be very real deeds (exploits, works) that must be repented of to escape the great tribulation... deeds that somehow involve Jezebel. And I think having some idea as to who she was, will help our understanding in what our repentance should involve, as well as this letter as a whole.

- And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. (1 Kings 16:30,31) -

 

Jezebel was the daughter of Eth-Baal, King of Sidon, Priest of Astarte. He murdered his own predecessor, Pheles, to seize the throne. This gives an idea of the kind of family she comes from. She was married to King Ahab to seal a profitable trade alliance between Israel and Phoenicia. Being a worshiper of Baal and Astarte (who originated in Babylon) Jezebel set out to exterminate the prophets of God, upon becoming queen. She and Ahab ushered in possibly one of the worst times in Old Testament history. Jezebel worshiped Ashtoreth, which is basically another form of Astarte, and she was associated with the groves. One thing we need to understand about the groves is that the Hebrew people never worshiped there or in the high places (on top of a hill or mountain). Those were the pagan sites. And these groves were actually areas where entire trees had been carved into phallic symbols. This was part of the pagan worship, fertility rights, and all of that. This was also called the Abomination of the Sidonians.

- And he brought out the grove from the house of the Lord, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people. And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the Lord, where the women wove hangings for the grove. And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba, and brake down the high places of the gates that were in the entering in of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on a man's left hand at the gate of the city. (2 Kings 23:6-8) -

If you don't know what a phallus or phallic symbol is I would suggest looking up the definition, or simply going to google images... type in phallic symbols and it should become pretty obvious. These things are still around and America is full of them. There is also a female version which is very disturbing... as it has become a Christian symbol. In fact, the whole concept of the Queen of Heaven is Babylonian.

- Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee. Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. (Jeremiah 7:16-18) -

But getting back to Jezebel, we have an example of some of her deeds which seriously provoked the Lord to anger... insomuch that He sent Elijah the prophet to her husband with a word of judgment.

 - And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. And Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee. And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread. But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread? And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard. And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth. And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die. And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them. They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died. Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead. (1 Kings 21:1-14) -

So as we can see, King Ahab was little more than a spoiled, wicked, child. He wanted Naboth's vineyard because it was conveniently located next to the king's house. Ahab offers Naboth the price of it in money or an even better vineyard but Naboth respectfully refuses to sell his inheritance. You see, the land was allocated by tribe and it was forbidden in God's law to be sold. It was to be kept in one's family and passed down from generation to generation. It could be leased for a time, but not permanently sold. Naboth was an honorable man, willing to honor God's word even if it displeased the king. What is not mentioned here but elsewhere, is that not only did Jezebel have Naboth killed... but the people also killed his children. His sons and grandsons so that there could be no claim on the land.

- And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead. And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it. And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine. And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord. Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin. And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat. (1 Kings 21:15-24) -

Him that pisseth against the wall... that was just a colorful way of saying that Ahab's sons and grandson's would be cut off. So King Ahab desired the land. Jezebel arranges an inquisition that leads to false witness, condemnation, and execution... then Naboth's vineyard is seized for the king and Naboth's heirs are also executed. Does this sound familiar as it regards the history of the church? Has this ever happened in church history? Yes it has. It was called the Dark Age... the Inquisition of the Roman Catholic Church.

- And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house. (1 Kings 21:27:29) -

This says much about the kind of relationship Ahab had with his wife Jezebel. As a husband, if he had any real love in his heart for her, he would have wept, cried, fasted, rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth not only for himself, but for his wife as well as his children... but Ahab only thinks of himself. Also we should take note that the prophet Elijah was not sent to Jezebel, nor does the Lord even speak to her. This also speaks of the power of fasting and the great mercy of God. As sinful and wicked as Ahab was, the Lord delayed judgment because Ahab not only repented, but coupled it with fasting. While Jezebel represents a false demonic doctrine, Ahab represents the church goer that has married that doctrine. Yes Ahab repented and even the Lord acknowledges that, but he would not cut ties. This is the Christian that refuses to cut ties with the world. They know what repentance is and how to do it, but it is a "one time ago thing." If you were to ask them about repentance, they would reply "Yes I repented a long time ago." Their repentance stopped there and only goes so far.

- And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. (Revelation 2:23) -

This implies that there is a remnant in Thyatira, but the majority in that church are in serious danger.

- But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.
(Revelation 2:24) -

It is possible to know the depths of Satan through the doctrines and deeds connected to Jezebel.

- But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. (Revelation 2:25) -

Here in this exhortation we have the first explicit reference to the Second coming of Jesus Christ.

- And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.(Revelation 2:26-29) -

The promise to the overcomer is that they will receive power over the nations. The context implies that this was the ambition of Jezebel. Also notice that this is the first letter where we find promises within the body of the letter instead of appended at the end. So what's the personal application here? Are there Jezebels in the churches? Are there pagan customs and traditions? You bet there are. You will find pagan customs and traditions in every church that you walk into... the question we should consider is how much.. worship on Sunday, Easter, etc. The point is to recognize the paganism and seek God that you may be sanctified in Him. Lastly, touching on the depths of Satan requires a lengthy study on the history of Rome, it's church, the creation of the popes, and the combining of the Pagan religion with Christianity. Needless to say, I don't have the time or space to go into such a study at the moment. However, I do think I need to hit a few critical points...

I believe the depths of Satan are entered into through the doctrine and deeds of Jezebel... these are the Esoteric mysteries of the Babylonian cults. In 378 A.D. Damasus, Bishop of Rome, took on the office of Pontifex Maximus (high priest of the Babylonian religion), which had previously been the prerogative of the Roman Emperors (the Caesars). Thus the Christian church was combined with the pagan religion. On a side note, you cannot even understand the history of Europe unless you take an in depth look at the tensions between the Vatican and the various kings of Europe, as the Vatican aspired to temporal power in addition to religious authority. The word "Pope" simply means "father" or "papa." Initially it applied to all western bishops. About 500 A.D. it began to be restricted to the Bishop of Rome. For 500 years the Bishops of Rome were NOT popes. There is a Roman Catholic tradition that the apostle Peter was the first pope. That is nothing but fiction. A myth without any historical or biblical basis whatsoever. There was a long struggle for supremacy when Constantine moved the capital of Rome to Constantinople. Then Rome itself split into east and west. There was the great cleavage... the split in the church between east and west... the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church.

Skipping ahead a couple hundred years to Pope Innocent the III, who may have been the worst of the bunch. He was the most powerful of all the popes. He claimed to be the "vicar of Christ" the "vicar of God." He said all things in earth, in heaven, and in hell are subject to the vicar of Christ. More blood was shed under his direction than any of his immediate successors in Church history... with the exception of the Vatican's attempts to crush the reformation. He ordered two crusades, decreed transubstantiation, confirmed auricular confession, declared papal infallibility, condemned the Magna Carta, forbade the reading of the bible in the vernacular, and instituted the inquisition.

The Inquisition was called the Holy Office. Everyone was required to inform against heretics. Anyone suspect was liable to torture without knowing the name of their accuser. The proceedings were secret. The inquisitor pronounced sentence and the victim was turned over to civil authorities to be imprisoned for life... or to be burned. The victims property was confiscated and divided between the church and the state. Do you see the incentive here to get a guilty verdict? This entity calling itself a church was responsible for the slaughter of untold multitudes... and I haven't even touched on the Jesuits and the atrocities they committed. 

Interestingly enough, on May 21, 1995 the Pope asked forgiveness for all the wrongs and crimes committed and permitted by the Roman Catholic Church throughout their history. It would have been a bit more impressive if he had asked forgiveness for what the Vatican had perpetrated throughout their history but he generalized everything. That being stated, you might be surprised at the number of Roman Catholics that are never taught the history of their organization... as well as the anger, and unbelief you may encounter if you try to explain it to them. So in looking at the prophetic time line and profile... Ephesus is the Apostolic Church, Smyrna is the Prosecuted Church, Pergamus is the Married Church... Thyatira is the Medieval Church.


TO BE CONTINUED...