“Seven” Week 6
Joy’s Notes:
Revelation week 6
THYA-TIRA
Rev 2:18-29
—————
SEVEN cities
SEVEN churchs
SEVEN letters
SEVEN lights
————
HISTORY OF THYATIRA—
• THYATIRA= Longest letter & filled with the most correction
• Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum= all well known cities!
But….
Thyatira is:
• least known
• least “significant”
• least remarkable ….. city of all 7 cities.
• Thyatira was a blue collored labored town.
• Thyatira Rarely mentioned in ancient literature
• Lydia was from this city of Thyatira
👇
Acts 16:14 “one of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira name, Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord open your heart to respond to Paul’s message.”
• Thyatira was filled with labor UNIONS (guilds)
• these UNIONS dominated every day life
• It didn’t matter what your job was— you were part of the UNION/GUILD
• Each union had a GREEK GOD associated with it
👇
• a faithful worship of this God was DEMANDED
• The UNION would help find you work & PROTECT you
👇
• But if you didn’t bow down to their God— YOU’D BE FIRED!
Christians were forced to go hungry if they chose Jesus
👇
but… if they stayed in the UNION & worshiped the gods, they could keep their job but deny their Jesus!
👇
FORCED TO DECIDE: JESUS OR JOB (but they can’t have both)
_________
Rev 2:18-29
2:18
“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira. This is the message from the Son of God—
• Jesus FIRST identifies who HE IS!
• I AM “The Son of God!”
👇
⁃ THYATIRA had a main god= APOLLO
⁃ APOLLO = “the son of god.” (Son of Zeus)
⁃ ZEUS = (appollo’s dad) know as the “king of kings.” :(
————
REV 2:18 cont…
“whose eyes are like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze”
In other words— God IS fire!!
👇
F I R E :
Jeremiah 20:9
“His Word is in my heart like a FIRE! A FIRE shut up in my bones!”
Shadrach meshak abednego :
• The 3 were bound with ropes (BY STRONGEST MEN) & thrown into fire-7x hotter
👇
• The king didn’t realize God is in the fire!
Daniel 10:6 /Rev 19:12 “His eyes are like blazing fire.”
Exodus 19:18/ Moses mountain
the Lord descended upon Mt. Sinai in fire; (right before Moses went up to receive 10 commandments)
2 chron 7:1-3 /Solomon temple
(Solomons dedication of the temple= Fire came down from heaven & the glory FILLED the temple!!
Exodus 3:2 Moses/bush
The BURNING BUSH- but it didn’t burn up!
Exodus 13:21
“Led by pillar of fire at night”= to give LIGHT on journey!
1 kings 18
FIRE fell down from heaven & consumed Elijah’s burnt offering!
prov 31:29-30 ❤️
“There are many virtuous and capable women in the world,
but you surpass them all! Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised (“to SHINE” -Hebrew meaning)
DO I SEE:
1. FIRE
OR
2. GODS EYES & FACE ….in my CIRCUMSTANCES?
(They were walking into the eyes of God!)
Mal 3:2-3
“…For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes. He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross (draus). He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the LORD.”
🔥Gold is Done when=
the refiner can see his REFLECTION in the gold!
Is 43:2
“WHEN (not if) you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set YOU ablaze.”
—————
2:19
“I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things.
• “I KNOW” your…
1. Love (agape)
2. Faith
3. Service
4. Patient endurance
5. Your “Constant improvement” in these areas (NLT)
“Constant improvement” (human effort)
👇
⁃ STORY of farm house
⁃ In a state of constant improvement because we couldn’t afford to replace it— or buy things new!
⁃ ketchup bottle factory STORY— just fix the ENGINE!!
• are you in a state of ‘constant improvement’ ?
👇
Instead of allowing God to get into the ENGINE of your HEART & heal the “real problem?”
2:20
“But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols.
• Thyatira is a GODLY church— but it’s being invaded by WORLDLINESS!!!!
• Jezebel was a symbolic name (not the real name of this woman) A SPIRIT.
1 Kings 18 =
• King Ahab married Jezebel
• Jezebel is KILLING God’s prophets
1 Kings 19 =
• Jezebel threatens to kill Elijah
Its a….
CONTROLLING
MANIPULATING
LYING
INSECURE… Spirit!
• Jezebel was STRAIGHT UP EVIL (most evil woman of all time)
• Jezebel wanted to remove any remnant of the Living God out of Israel
• She introduced Israel to sexual origies & immoralities
👇
• This caused unwanted pregnancies— which they’d sacrifice to other gods
• She would have the prophets of the True God slaughtered! (1 kings 18:4)
5 negative-effects of a jezebel spirit:
1. Fear (Elijah fears jezebel)
2. Isolation (Elijah went into isolation - not solitude) (isolation= alone w/ me. Solitude = alone w/ God.)
3. Depression
4. Thoughts of suicide
5. Thoughts of quitting
2:21
I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality.
• Jesus gives us “TIME TO REPENT”
👇
That’s MERCY!!!
• But do we “WANT-TO REPENT?”
“Sin doesn’t break a rule, it breaks you!”
• The OT — revealed to me just how deeply God HATES sin!
2:22
“Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds.
(EVEN—Jezebels evil husband, king Ahab, humbled himself & God didn’t punish him)
Satan tempts you- then traps you- then condemns you
SUFFERING”— the consequence of SIN will bring SUFFERING!
(What goes up, must come down)
God used my suffering from sin to bring me to HIM!!!!
*what are you “tolerating” in your life— that’ll bring inevitable CONSEQUENCES in your life?
⁃ “Jesus doesn’t hate sin because it breaks a rule, he hates sin because it breaks you!
• Jesus here is both HOLY & KIND - who doesn’t tolerate sin, but gives us TIME TO REPENT!!!
SHARE- Jesus says not to just say a “salvation prayer” — but to count the cost.
👇
Luke 14:25-30
“A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.
28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. 30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’
2:23
“I will strike her children dead (spiritual children - (GREEK MEANING)- (her
sheep following her teaching— sin always brings death.)
Then ALL the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the THOUGHTS and INTENTIONS of every person.
And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.
⁃ Jer 12:2-3 “you are always on their lips but far from their hearts! Yet, you know me Lord; you SEE me & hear my thoughts about you!”
Jer 17:10
“But I, the Lord, search the heart and examine the mind!”
👇
Jer 20:12
“The Lord Almighty examines the deepest thoughts & secrets of the heart!”
• We may give great sermons.
• Be a great communicator
• Do awesome deeds for less fortunate.
• Have bible verses memorized.
• Speak in tongues
• Have large ministries
• Give to the needy/sex trafficking/ social justice causes
• Say eloquent public prayers.
• And- Look & act & seem very Godly….
But GOD SEARCHES the HIDDEN thoughts & intentions of the heart!
• 2 chron 16:9
“ The eyes of the Lord run to & fro throughout the whole earth in order to strengthen (& support) those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.
• Heb 4:12
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two edge sword, piercing the soul and spirit, joints & marrow, and discerning the THOUGHTS & INTENTIONS of the heart.”
The RUNNING FATHER— knew the intentions & thoughts of the son BEFORE he even said a word!!!!
👇
Even though the towns people could ONLY SEE HIS OUTWARD negative behaviors !!!
Luke 18:9– tax collector & Pharisee praying! Tax collector goes home justified!
2:24-25
“But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you
except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come.
• “HOLD TIGHTLY”
• SHOW chosen CLIP of bleeding woman— “holding tightly”
2:26
To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end,
To them I will give authority over all the nations.
OBEDIENCE =‘is all God ever wanted!
👇
“Simply OBEY me & do everything I command & you’ll be my people & I’ll be your God.” (Jer 11:4)
But….
• ‘Obedience without a surrendered heart is just religion in disguise!’
“Obey God, and leave all the consequences to him!”
OBEDIENCE
isn’t done to EARN Gods love— but IN RESPONSE to it!
👇
• (obedience) is not a one time thing, it’s an every day thing!
“Your job is OBEDIENCE. My job is OUTCOME.” -God
👉God uses pain not to DESTROY me but to DEVELOP me!!!
2:27
They (those who are obedient) will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.
• “don’t tell God how big your mountains are… tell the mountains how BIG your God is!”
Luke 10:19
• “Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.
Rev 12:11 “They defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. AND that they didn’t love their lives so much threat they were afraid to die!”
2:28
They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!
• John 14:12 = I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the son can bring glory to the father. Yes, ask me anything in my name, and I will do it!
⁃ MORNING STAR =
⁃ Jesus is called MORNING STAR in 3 places in bible (also in Rev 22:16 & 2 Peter 1:19)
• A MORNING STAR appears when the night (dark night of the soul) is coldest & darkest.
• A MORNING STAR appears just before the dawn!
Morning Star = HOPE!
⁃ the morning star= means the SUN will follow soooon!!!
2:29
“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.
• ears to hear!!! (Ask for this daily!———
—————-
Question:
What is the greatest threat to your obedience to God in your life?