The Church at Thyatira
Revelation 2:18-29 (NIV) “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. 20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I
have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. 24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, 25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.’ 26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations — 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’ 27 just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Thyatira addresses one of the most dangerous issues in the church. Based on this scripture, specifically verse twenty, a “Jezebel spirit.” Having been in pastoral ministry now for a quarter of a century, this specific spirit or attitude has become very familiar to me. It is commonly referred to when we talk about the “Church Board” or the “Deacon Board,” pretty much anyone who has caused a pastor, and the church, frustration and even disagreement. Now, let me state here that I do not believe it is a church board issue. I have worked with some of the most amazing, gifted, and dedicated leaders who have chosen to serve as Elders, Deacons, Trustees, and Overseers for local churches. So, while there are a lot of people drawn to these groups because of their influence and authority, most are there to help and not to control.
At the end of the day, this is what this spirit yearns for – control. It is not interested in furthering the kingdom, but rather its own agenda. This spirit preys on the person with a natural predisposition toward a prophetic gifting, as talked about by Paul in Ephesians 4:11. The danger in this gifting is when the prophet becomes too impressed with his or her ability, refuses to be teachable, and removes themselves from under Apostolic covering. This eliminates from their lives accountability and the Old Testament concept of the “School of the Prophets.”
In verse 20 we see the Jezebel spirit leading specifically into sexual immorality. In and of itself, this is a major problem in the church still today. However, I believe it points to a deeper spiritual issue. Sexual Immorality is referring to gross, unrepentant sin; and meat offered to idols, as we discussed in the last blog, is referring to causing “weaker brothers,” people who have issues with certain things, to fall into temptation. So, let’s jump right into this sewage pit.
The first issue of sin is a pretty clear one in Scripture. For this purpose, I want to use a definition I heard many years ago that has stuck with me, and that has proven to be very accurate over the last twenty-five plus years. I define Sin as, “a break in a relationship.” If you look at sin generally, the end result is always a breaking in a relationship. If I steal from you, you will no longer trust me, and any hope for our relationship is severely damaged, if not broken all together. If I continue in that behavior, it is most certainly going to become beyond repair – broken. Every sin is the same - broken relationships - whether it is a break in a human relationship, or ultimately our relationship with God. There will be a day when we are judged by our deeds, whether good or bad. There will be a time of celebration or separation, depending on the judgement. Paul tells the Roman church that “sin, when it is finished, brings forth death.” “For the wages of sin is death.”
The second is much more subversive. It can come in the form of self-righteousness, false-humility, or “walking in our freedom.” However, when the end result of these freedoms is to cause another person to stumble and to fall in their walk with God or each other, then it becomes very clear what the topic really is. If I cause you to stumble because of something I feel complete liberty in doing, and you, not being able to handle that issue, jump headlong into it, and end up forfeiting your family, your life, and maybe even your relationship with Christ, you will not look at me the same. You will not trust me to be good for you, and our relationship will suffer and be damaged, maybe even broken. When that occurs, it is sin.
So, what the spirit of Jezebel does is to come in with straight up sin - sometimes. But, more often than not, it will use the Bible to try to prove the discord it is causing. It will try to bring discontent and to stir up trouble as something they are “praying about.” It really is nothing new - Satan has been doing this for thousands of years. Look at the most familiar story of Jesus. After performing the first public miracle of his life, he goes off to the wilderness to collect his thoughts, to fast, and to hear from God. I hate that all of that is termed in Scripture as, “to be tempted by the evil one.” However, that really is where we hear the best, pray the hardest, and fight the strongest. When all is well, we have the tendency to get complacent; but when all hell breaks loose, we will respond in kind. So, Jesus is in the wilderness, fasting, listing to God’s voice, and the enemy comes and starts to misquote scripture. He takes one verse, twists it just enough, and then tries to use God’s own words against Him.
This is the most common tool of the Jezebel spirit. They will twist Scripture; they will put just enough of the Bible in a statement that is sounds right, but it is not right. A half-truth is still not THE truth. The person under the influence of this spirit “looks good”, “sounds good” but as Samuel told Jessie regarding his sons, “Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.”
How do we deal, in the church, with a Jezebel spirit? What is the balance between love, acceptance & forgiveness, and keeping the wolves from eating the sheep? I believe the answer is in front of us, if we take the time to look at the Bible as a whole - divinely inspired - instead of just pulling out the specific texts that we like the sound of. Jezebel is first mentioned in I Kings as she tries to kill the prophets and to destroy the influence of the leaders in Israel. Then, in our text in Revelation, Jezebel is like the parable Jesus tells us in the Gospels of the Leaven that spoils the entire batch. When it is introduced to the bread, it causes the entire thing to be corrupted, or affected. If you allow even the slightest hint of a Jezebel in your church, you are allowing the entire church to be affected. The remedy? Cut it out. That is what Jehu did with her
in II Kings 9. It says Jehu, the newly anointed king of Israel, had her thrown from the palace window. No argument, not debate, just action.
That is the only way to deal with this spirit in your life, your family and your church. Here’s a side note, while we have used the female pronoun, and Jezebel is female in the Bible, this spirit is not limited to one gender. I have seen my share of guys who follow the leading of this spirit and attitude. Guard yourself, your heart, and keep this spirit out of your home and your church.
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