Thyatira has the important qualities for a church, but the thing that is hard to understand is why they tolerate Jezebel. Jesus is very firm about the consequences of not dealing with the issue, and the consequence is pretty severe.
Jesus is:
The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze.
The fire reveals the purification characteristic of Jesus. Thyatira has gold mixed with dirt. To get rid of the dirt and retain the gold, Thyratira has to be refined with fire, or respond and brush off the dirt.
Praise:
They have love and faith and perseverance, and their deeds are greater than they were at first.
This is a church with all the right qualities, but they need to realize that love also means not allowing deception and protecting the spiritual welfare of the believers.
Warning:
You tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and teaches and leads My bond-servants astray, so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.
It's obvious that this was a common practice of that day, becaue the issue was addressed to the early church. It seems that the problem with the early churches, as well as even today, is that what some churches attempt to do is add the truth of Jesus to the spiritual practices of the day. This practice is reffered to as adulterating the Word of God. In the Book of Acts Chapter 15, verses 28 and 29, it states referring to Gentile believers,
" For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep youselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell."
So Jesus was putting on Gentile believers no greater burden than just obeying these few essential commands. So why would they even tolorate the only thing that they were told to abstain from? They, like a lot of churches today, tolerate many different kinds of deceptions for many different reasons. One reason is because they don't understand that love does not mean that you tolerate anything someone does. God's word teaches that if anyone in a fellowship is discovered to be involved in acts of immorality or deception (doctrine of demons), or (idolitry)worship of anything or anyone other than Jesus, that in love, they should be addressed one on one, and if there is no repentance(turning away from your era) on their part, then two believers confront the issue. Then if there is no correction, you expose it to the whole fellowship. After this, if there is no turning away from their practices, then you you ask them to leave the fellowship. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians Chapter 5, verse 5, wrote,
"I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."
This sounds harsh, but it is love, because Paul is concerned about this persons eternal destiny.
Another reason why churches might tolerate a person such as Jezebel is because of her financial support to the church. I hate to say that, but I have seen this happen. Jesus brother James wrote in his letter in Chapter 2 about the sin of partiality. This would be when you give more preference to someone with money over someone who seems to be without means. He said in doing so you become judges with evil motives. To tolerate a Jezebel over the welfare of the body(church) because of her monitery influence, is evil.
Jezebel's consequences:
Because Jesus gave her time to repent and she did not want to, she will be cast upon a bed of sickness, and everyone who has commited adultery with her, if they don't repent, will go though great tribulation with her. Jesus will kill her children with pestilence. This sounds pretty harsh, but Jesus is showing the seriousness of allowing His church to be infiltrated and decieved by things that are not Holy and according to His will. He did this to let the churches know that He is the One who searches the minds and hearts; and that He will give to each one according to their deeds.
Jesus said that those who did not participate in her immorality and teachings and have not known the deep things of Satan, He places no other burden. Just hold fast until He comes.
Overcomers Reward:
Those who keep His deeds until the end, to them will be given authority over the nations, and they 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 them the morning star. The Saints dwelling will be the Kingdom that Jesus is preparing for them. From there they will help rule over the nations during the millenial rule of Jesus.
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