Read Revelation 2:18-29.

Introduction⤒🔗

Ravi Zacharias was a Christian apologist who spoke to audiences of students on college and university campuses across the nation. After delivering his message, Ravi would be approached by many students who would bring to him their questions and problems for his counsel. Ravi testified that he was shocked by the great number of young people who would come to him for counseling concerning their immoral conduct and lifestyle; young people professing to be Christians and attending Christian colleges.

The sanctity of marriage and sex has become almost totally ignored and abused in our contemporary society. Although the church may still be head and shoulders above the rest of society, it is merely the case of a man standing head and shoulders above a child as they both ride down the same descending escalator:

The “sexual revolution” was one of the more heralded aspects of the new lifestyle advocated by the Woodstock generation. Sexual freedom and the “do your own thing” philosophy...took root during the sixties. The credo of the new generation became, “do what you like, as long as it does not harm anyone else.” Few people noticed how deftly that notion became ingrained in the mainstream of American thought. Today [1984] more than two-thirds of the adult population adhere to this philosophy.¹

A recent national survey found...strong support among Christians for the sixties notion that an individual is free to do whatever pleases him, as long as it does not hurt others. Two out of five Christians maintain that such thinking is proper, thus effectively rejecting the unconditional code of ethics and morality taught in the Bible.²

With all this in mind, let us soberly listen to what our Lord has to say to the church that tolerated immorality. The bottom line is this: Because the Lord our God is pure and holy, His commandment is that we must not engage in immoral conduct.

Do Not Engage in Immoral Conduct, While Living an Otherwise Exemplary Christian Life←⤒🔗

The Lord Jesus declares to the church in Thyatira, “I know your works” (vs. 19). He is referring to the works produced by the Holy Spirit and resulting from faith in Christ, as does the Apostle James when he writes: “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead” (Jas. 2:26).

The Lord proceeds to specify the works that He saw being produced by these Christian people. He commends the church for “your love.” Genuine love for Christ was evident within this congregation, in contrast to the church of Ephesus who was reprimanded for having left her “first love,” her love for Christ, (Rev. 2:4). A vital part of true love for Christ will express itself in love for fellow members of His body as well: “...everyone who loves him who begot [them], also loves him who is begotten by him” (1 Jn. 5:1). The Apostle John is informing us that everyone who loves God the Father, the One by whom we have been “born” into new life, will also love his fellow brothers and sisters who likewise have been “born again” unto new life.

Christ also commends them for “your faith.” This church had a vital, living faith; theirs was no dead orthodoxy, not merely a faith in correct doctrine, but a personal faith in Christ Himself that reflected itself in a sincere Christian life. The Apostle Paul urged Timothy, “What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 1:13). The “sound teaching” is to be held in vital connection with personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; it is not to be held in distinction from that personal faith. This type of true and living faith was evident within the church in Thyatira.

The Lord also commends this church for “your service.” The reference here is to a diaconal ministry, a ministry of service. In love, they were ministering to the needs of one another, assuming the role of a servant to one another. They were fulfilling the command given by Paul to the Philippians: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but with a humble mind let each one consider others as occupying a higher position than himself. ⁴Let each one be concerned not only about his own interests, but also about the interests of others” (Phil. 2:3-4).

Finally, this congregation is commended for “your perseverance.” They were standing firm, remaining steadfast in their commitment to Christ, despite the pressures and the costs. Trade guilds were strong in Thyatira, such guilds were linked to the pagan religious cults; to opt out of membership in such guilds could well mean economic loss.

The Lord Jesus takes note of the fact that “your present works are greater than your former ones” (vs. 19b). The church was abounding in good works, advancing in their service to Christ and to one another. But once again, following a word of genuine commendation, the Lord Jesus must add,

Nevertheless, I hold this against you: You are tolerating that woman Jezebel, the one who calls herself a prophetess. She teaches and seduces my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. Rev. 2:20

Here was a church whose otherwise exemplary Christian life was marred by the presence of immoral conduct.

Note that the Lord Jesus introduces Himself to this church as “the Son of God, he whose eyes are like a flame of fire and whose feet are like polished bronze” (vs. 18). Here the Lord Jesus vividly reveals His absolute purity, His abhorrence to even so much as look upon evil and immoral conduct: “Your eyes are too pure to behold evil; you cannot look at wickedness” (Hab. 1:13a). Christ also emphasizes His divine ability to search out and consume all moral and spiritual impurity: “I am the one who searches the hearts and minds, and I will give to each one of you what your works deserve” (vs. 23b).

Let us not engage in immoral conduct, while living an otherwise exemplary Christian life. Let us pay careful attention to the words of the Apostle James: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (Jas. 1:27).

Do Not Engage in Immoral Conduct, Under the Guise of Christian Liberty←⤒🔗

The Lord Jesus protests against the church in Thyatira that they are tolerating “that woman Jezebel” (vs. 20). Present within the church was an influential woman whom the Lord symbolically calls “Jezebel,” identifying her with the evil queen of Israel who promoted Baal worship and all its immoral rituals in ancient Israel.

Whereas the Lord calls this woman, “Jezebel,” this woman called herself “a prophetess” (vs. 20). That is to say, she was a self-proclaimed prophetess, not a true prophetess raised up by the Lord to speak His word. She was a false prophetess whose teaching was contrary to the commandments of the Lord and who was consequently opposed by the Lord.

This false prophetess was very persuasive and influential in the church: the Lord accuses her of teaching and seducing “my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols” (vs. 20b). Either by claiming to have received new revelation from God, or to have deeper understanding of Christian liberty, this woman was instructing and convincing Christ’s servants that it was permissible for them to engage in immoral and idolatrous conduct. More specifically, she may have been teaching that it was permissible for Christians to participate in the immoral and idolatrous practices of the trade guilds. But when compared to the test prescribed in Deuteronomy 13:1-4, she proved herself to be a false prophetess. As Deuteronomy 13:1-4 indicates, a true prophet would never instruct the people of God to break any of the holy commandments given by the Lord:

If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, ²and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, 'Let us follow other gods,' (gods you have not known), 'and let us worship them,' ³you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. ⁴It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must fear. Keep his commandments and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.

According to verse twenty-four, Jezebel and her followers claim to “know the deep things of Satan.” This is perhaps a reference to the pagan and demonic practices engaged in by the trade guilds; namely, their cultic initiation rites, sacrifices, and acts of immorality.

What might have been the content of her teaching? Perhaps it was something along the following lines: The Christian, as one who belongs to the all-conquering Christ, need not fear to enter into “the deep things of Satan.” Here was a presuming upon the protective care and grace of God. But such a view is daring and challenging God to care for us as we put our spiritual life in jeopardy; that is a perversion of true faith and confidence in God. Note Proverbs 14:16, “A wise man fears and turns away from evil; but the fool behaves arrogantly and is confident.” Note, also, the example of the Lord Jesus Himself as recorded in Matthew 4:5-6a, 7, 10,

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ^6aIf you are the Son of God, he said, throw yourself down... ⁷Jesus answered him, It is...written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test... ¹⁰Jesus said to him, Away from me, Satan! for it is written: You shall worship the LORD your God, and him only shall you serve. Matt. 4:5-6a, 7, 10

Coupled with an unauthorized presumption upon the LORD's protective care, instead of submissive confidence in His care, in "Jezebel's" teaching there may also have been the equally perverse notion that Christian liberty is a license to sin. Here is the perverted notion that because salvation is of grace, the Christian is under no obligation to observe the law of holiness. The truth, however, is that we are saved by grace for the purpose of living a life of holiness for God:

God sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering... ⁴in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. Rom. 8:3-4

¹³...our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ...¹⁴gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people for his own possession, [a people] zealous for good works. Titus 2:13-14

Whatever her actual teaching, two things are clear: 1) she was teaching that it was permissible for a Christian to engage in immoral conduct, (perhaps also idolatrous practices); and, 2) the Lord Jesus identifies her as a false prophetess and declares His judgment upon her, as well as upon those who follow her teaching: ”I will throw her into a bed of great tribulation, and also those who are committing adultery with her, unless they repent of her practices” (vs. 22).

Let us not engage in immoral conduct, under the guise of Christian liberty. Let us obey the admonition of the Apostle Paul:

Flee from fornication. Every [other] sin that a man commits is without the body, but he who commits fornication is sinning against his own body. ¹⁹Do you not realize that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You do not belong to yourself; ²⁰you were bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God with your body. 1 Cor. 6:18­-20

Do Not Engage in Immoral Conduct, Because Christ will Take Action Against You If You Do←⤒🔗

The Lord Jesus, in His mercy and compassion, has given “Jezebel” time to repent (vs. 21). How often Scripture speaks of the patience and long-suffering of God, and its intention of leading men to repentance. Speaking of the coming day of judgment, the Apostle Peter writes:

The Lord is not negligent with regard to the promise, as some consider negligence; on the contrary, he is exhibiting great patience toward you. He does not desire anyone to perish, but all to come to repentance.2 Pet. 3:9

But how often it is that the sinner misinterprets the patience and long-suffering of God, mistaking it for ignorance or indifference on the part of God. Addressing the wicked and referring to their unrepentant life of sin, the LORD declares: “These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you. But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face” (Psl. 50:21).

The Lord has given “Jezebel” the time and opportunity to repent, but she does not desire to repent of her fornication (vs. 21). Like Pharaoh, Jezebel has set herself and her will in conscious defiance of the will and the commandment of God. But there is a grave danger in doing so, as Job asks the rhetorical question that demands a negative reply: “[The LORD’s] wisdom is profound, his power is vast; who can defy him and succeed?” (Job 9:4).

In response to her obstinate refusal to repent, the Lord pronounces His righteous judgment against her: “I will throw her into a bed of great tribulation” (vs. 22). The Lord warns of judgment not only against the false prophetess herself, but also against those who are “committing adultery with her.” Note that those within the church who continue to follow the teaching of “Jezebel” and refuse to obey the Lord’s call to repentance, are identified as “her children” (vs. 23), in distinction from “my servants” (vs. 20). When those who bear the name of Christ live like the world and refuse to obey Christ’s call to repentance and holiness, He identifies them with the world and they finally come under the same condemnation as the world:

Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²²Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? ²³Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers!Matt. 7:21-23

We may not engage in immoral conduct, because Christ will take action against us if we do.

God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: The Lord knows those who are his, and, Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness. 2 Tim. 2:19

Conclusion←⤒🔗

Here, as He does throughout the Scriptures, our Lord speaks in very strong terms about faithfulness, holiness, and responsiveness to His commandments. Let us renounce the immorality of our society as intolerable behavior for those who profess the name of Christ. Let us ask our Lord to apply His cleansing blood to us in body, mind, and heart. In reliance upon the Holy Spirit, let us renew our commitment to a life of holiness and moral purity, inspired by the Word of God: “Pursue peace with all [men], and the sanctification, without which no one will see the LORD. (Heb. 12:14).

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. For what does the Lord Jesus commend the church in Thyatira? See Rev. 2:19. Can the Lord say the same things about our Christian lives? Are they characterized by brotherly love coupled with an active faith that takes Christ at His word and acts upon it? Are we able to perform greater acts of service for Christ today than in the past? How does your Christian life compare to that of the church in Thyatira?

I know your works, namely, your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your present works are greater than your former ones.Rev. 2:19

2. But what does Christ hold against this church? See Rev. 2:20. Like the church in Thyatira, is your otherwise commendable Christian life marred by the uncontested presence of immorality? Do you entertain lustful thoughts, indulge in pornography, engage in actual acts of fornication or even adultery? What does the Apostle Paul warn the Corinthian church, and ourselves as well? See 1 Cor. 6:9-10,

Nevertheless, I hold this against you: You are tolerating that woman Jezebel, the one who calls herself a prophetess. She teaches and seduces my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.Rev. 2:20

⁹Do you not realize that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals, ¹⁰nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Cor. 6:9-10

3. How has Christ dealt with this false prophetess thus far (cf. vs. 21a), and how has she responded (cf. vs. 21b)? Has our Lord Jesus been convicting you of a particular sin in your life, be it immorality or sin of some other kind? Have you, like “that woman Jezebel,” been resisting Him? By resisting the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, what spiritually dangerous thing are you doing to yourself? Note Rom. 2:4-5,

I have given her time so that she might repent; but she is unwilling to repent of her immorality. Rev. 2:21

...do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and long-suffering, not realizing that the goodness of God [is intended to] lead you to repentance? ⁵But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God... Rom. 2:4-5

4. What does the Lord warn that He is now about to do to this unrepentant woman, and her followers (cf. Rev. 2:22-23)? Does the punishment (“I will throw her into a bed of great tribulation”), “fit the crime;” does it correspond to the type of sin she was committing? Has the Lord ever dealt with you according to your sins? Have you responded to the LORD’s fatherly discipline in the same way as the psalmist? Note Psl. 119:67, 71, 75

Listen; I will throw her into a bed of great tribulation, and also those who are committing adultery with her, unless they repent of her practices. ²³I will strike her children dead; then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches the hearts and minds, and I will give to each one of you what your works deserve. Rev. 2:22-23

⁶⁷Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep your word...⁷¹[It is] good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn your statutes...⁷⁵I know, O LORD, that your judgments [are] right, and [that] in faithfulness you have afflicted me. Psl. 119:67, 71, 75

5. What bizarre boast did this prophetess and her followers make? See Rev. 2:24. What could have allowed them to entertain such a dreadful notion? Note Rom. 6:15-16. Are you tempted to entertain the false teaching that God’s grace delivers us from the penalty of sin and, therefore, allows us to practice sin safely? As Christians, what must we always remember? See Tit. 3:13b-14,

But to the rest of you in Thyatira, all those who do not adhere to this teaching, [all those] who do not “know the deep things of Satan,” as they are accustomed to saying, I tell you that I will impose no other burden upon you.Rev. 2:24

Apparently, they thought they could yield themselves to Satan’s temptations and indulge in the very depths of sinful depravity without doing damage to their souls.

Shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? Certainly not! ¹⁶Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are the slaves of the one whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? Rom. 6:15-16

...our great God and Savior Jesus Christ ¹⁴...gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good works. Tit. 2:13-14