The Problems Part 4

REVELATION Number 49
The Problems Part 4

Revelation 2:20 brings us to the problem in the church at Thyatira. Like the church at Pergamum which we examined earlier, the problem here is someone leading people into immorality and idolatry. Verse 20 reads, “But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.” (NASB 2020)

After using Balaak and Balam as examples from scripture In His letter to Pergamum, the Lord links them to a group known as the Nicolaitans. We heard that the folks in Ephesus were wise to their schemes and did not put up with it. Beyond this, we are told nothing of the Nicolaitans. Here in His letter to Thyatira, He uses Jezebel as the scriptural example.

1 Kings 16:30–31 tells us that “Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD more than all who were before him. And as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshiped him.” (NASB 2020) So evil was Jezebel that she killed the prophets of God. 1 Kings 18:4 tells us, “when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water.” (NASB 2020) (see also 1 Kings 19:1-3) Jezebel was immoral and idolatrous. She murdered a man so that King Ahab could take his vineyard, she murdered many prophets, and she incited King Ahab to idolatry.

We see these two evils called out in Acts as well. Acts 15 records the events leading to a meeting in Jerusalem in which instructions to the Gentile churches were given. We find those instructions in verses 28–29. “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, from blood, from things strangled, and from acts of sexual immorality; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.” (NASB 2020)

The Church has always faced the challenge of living in the world governed by the evil one. Though citizens of the heavenly Kingdom, God’s people are assigned as ambassadors to the earthly kingdom. As such, we are continually exposed to the society and culture of that kingdom. We might summarize that society and culture using words such as immorality and idolatry.

Indeed, as our study of The Revelation continues, we will encounter two great evils, Babylon, and the beast. The world’s system, its government, and the religions of the world are immoral and idolatrous. We find this truth graphically portrayed throughout The Revelation. As the Lord points out in these letters, we must take care that we are not led away from the truth by the cunning deceitfulness of those who would teach, and even try to enforce, immoral and idolatrous religion and governance. The Lord Jesus takes this very seriously, as we have seen.

Though man-made organized religion continues trying to force theocratic government and “conversion” from other religions, force and coercion are not the answer to immorality and idolatry.

Certainly this is an important battle, but it is a battle we cannot win using our weapons and our strength. Holy Spirit makes that clear in 2 Corinthians 10:3–4, saying through the Apostle Paul, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage battle according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.” (NASB 2020) Ephesians 6:10 also tells us to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” (NASB 2020)

We must rely on Father for this battle. Fighting the evils of the world the way that seems natural to our earthly lives makes other people our enemies. But we are told in Ephesians 6:12 that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (NASB 2020)

The battle is the Lord’s. The Lord Jesus has overcome the evil one. Therefore, we overcome him as well because we are in the Lord Jesus. When we keep our attention on Him, we will not be “tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming” Ephesians 4:14 (NASB 2020).