Thyatira | The Apostate Church The 7 Churches of Revelation | Episode 5
Thyatira is located about 30 miles southwest of Pergamos,
and it was founded by Seleucus, one of Alexander the Great's generals.
As there are no natural fortifications in the area,
it was built to protect the northern defenses,
and thus came into being as a garrison city.
It was not a naturally strong city,
and did not have the look of a fortress,
and it has been captured, rebuilt, and destroyed many times.
In later years, its manufacturing industries would come to prominence,
being brass and bronze instruments.
These industries were known for their guilds, or trade unions,
a situation of work that made it very difficult to be a Christian.
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It was also famed for the dyeing of cloth,
in particular red and purple cloth, and this is referenced in Acts 16:14
where it says that Paul met Lydia of Thyatira in Philippi, a seller of purple.
The name Thyatira means 'sacrifice of contrition',
and fittingly represents this church,
in particular the time period of church history when, through apostasy,
simple faith was exchanged or sacrificed for outward works or penances.
Jesus is introduced to this church as one who has eyes like a flame of fire
and feet like bronze,
language that those living here would have resonated with.
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This is the only church where Jesus uses His title,
'The Son of God' in introduction to them,
In fact, it's the only time this term is used in Revelation.
It is fitting that during this time period,
the place and authority of the Son of God
was usurped by a symbolic Jezebel, representing the apostate church.
This church has the longest message given to it,
and also covers the longest time period,
more than a thousand years, or half the Christian era.
Their commendation is that their works would be known,
the latter more than the first.
It's fitting that during this time period the Reformers would arise at the end,
bringing renewed hope and emphasis back to God's word.
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This church receives the most definite rebuke of all the churches,
and the reference to Queen Jezebel is particularly significant.
Jezebel in the Old Testament was a Phoenician and a worshiper of Baal,
and the result of her marriage to king Ahab
was that Israel was led into idolatry.
It was during the reign of King Ahab and his marriage to Jezebel
where the land had a drought for three and a half years.
This is a type of the time when paganism would come into the church
and the head of the state would be controlled by the head of the church,
just like King Ahab, the head of the state,
was controlled by his wife, the prophetess.
Any time in history where church and state have united,
it has led to internal corruption and outward persecution.
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The time period usually associated with this church is 538 to 1798 AD,
when the Roman church ruled as a joint religio-political power.
It was in 538 when Emperor Justinian made a decree
declaring the Bishop of Rome the corrector of heretics
and gave him ecclesiastical authority and civil authority,
which held sway until the Napoleonic Wars when this was stripped away.
It was also during this time period
where appeals were made to reform during the Reformation
by men such as John Wycliffe and Martin Luther,
but as Revelation 2:21 says, 'She repented not.'
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In verse 25 the counsel is given, 'Hold fast 'till I come,'
the first reference to the second coming in all the letters.
This doctrine had largely been set aside
and falsely interpreted during the Dark Ages.
The promise is given to this church
that they would have power, or authority, over nations,
encouraging, considering the strength of the state
and the weakness of the true church during this time.
They are also told that they would get the morning star.
The morning star appears at the darkest hour of the night.
Many people believe this refers to John Wycliffe,
who is often referred to as 'The Morning Star of the Reformation',
being the first ray of light to appear on the horizon after centuries of darkness.
If you are in the midst of darkness and going through a hard time,
then the promise of hope is always there.
It is at the times of deepest discouragement
when divine help is nearest.
If you have wandered far from God or sunk into apostasy,
then know that you can always reach out to Him
and renew your relationship with Him.