The fourth of John’s letters to the seven churches in Asia went to Thyatira, which resides on the road between Pergamum and Sardis:
“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are burnished bronze’” (Rev 2:18).
If you were to receive a letter from Jesus, would you picture him in your mind as a gentle shepherd tenderly holding a lost sheep that has been found, or as a ruler with fire in his eyes and boots that are ready for war? Would you expect him to praise your life or focus on things you have done that are wrong? Jesus does both.
Think about your church as a whole here:
“’I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first’” (Rev 2:19).
So far, so good. Every church would love to read this about their ministry in the community!
“’But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols’” (Rev 2:20).
Uh-oh. Now you realize that this letter is long on a “Jezebel” in the church at Thyatira, not Ahab’s wife who stopped at nothing to shed blood (1 Kings 16:31; 2 Kings 9:22, 30). This “modern” Jezebel has free reign in the church at Thyatira to promote free sex and to serve food sacrificed to stone idols. But notice here that Jesus offers her repentance first, which she refuses:
“’I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality’” (Rev 2:21).
This woman nicknamed Jezebel by Jesus now stands at the fork in the road to perfect unity with Jesus. She has received a warning; perhaps even multiple warnings. She ignores, cozy in her role as a “leader” in the church. She chooses the bad fork in the road to disunity from Jesus, which leads her straight to judgment:
“’Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works’” (Rev 2:22-23).
The judgment of this Jezebel is complete because she refused to choose the good fork in the road - repentance. She is doomed. But notice carefully that Jesus offers every person who was seduced by her their own opportunity to repent. If they do, they immediately turn toward the good fork in the road and receive the never-ending love of God and forgiveness and restoration.
Nothing could demonstrate the Cycle of Perfect Unity better than this. Our lives can become flawed by a sinful leader, and we stand at the fork in the road unexpectedly. If so, run to Jesus in repentance:
“’But the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. Only hold fast what you have until I come. The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself received authority from my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’” (Rev 2:24-29).
The morning star comes in Revelation 22. The morning star is the physical presence of Jesus himself. What could be a greater thrill than all eternity in personal perfect unity with Jesus?
Stay faithful to the end in perfect unity with Jesus, and shine like the morning star.