Bible
End Times Prophecy Series – Week 43
The
Seven Churches of Revelation
Revelation
2: 18-29 (NLT)
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| Thyatira ruins in Turkey. Wikipedia public domain photo |
Letter
to the church at Thyatira
18 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in
Thyatira. This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames
of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze:
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.
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. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she does not want
to turn away from her immorality.
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. 23 I
will strike her children dead. 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.
24 “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 25 except
that you hold tightly to what you have until I come. 26 To all
who are victorious, who obey me to the very end,
To them I will give authority
over all the nations.
27 They will rule the nations with an iron rod
and smash them like clay pots.
27 They will rule the nations with an iron rod
and smash them like clay pots.
28 They will have the same authority I received from my
Father, and I will also give them the morning star!
29 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit
and understand what he is saying to the churches.
John the apostle is considered the writer of the Apocalypse or Revelation. He wrote down what the risen Lord Jesus Christ indicated to him in a series of visions of the future. The letters to the seven churches in Asia Minor, which were given before the futuristic messages, are messages and admonitions that apply to the Christian church today as well as to individual believers.
During the early Christian church years, Thyatira was known as a thriving commercial city famous for its purple-dyed textiles. In fact, one of the converts that showed hospitality to the apostle Paul and his companions was a businesswoman from Thyatira named Lydia, a seller of purple cloth (Acts 16:14-16). Today, only ruins remain of the former Thyatira, which is located in Akhisar, Turkey.
In the letter, Jesus commends the Christians in Thyatira for their love, faith, patience and service. He also harshly condemns idolatry and sexual immorality that the church had failed to weed out or wholly repent of. Paul criticized the Christian church in Corinth (I and II Corinthians) for similar things. The pagan rituals that predominated those times involved unspeakable acts that brought participants in contact with demonic forces; hence, the hard divine rebuke.
Jesus, however, also mentions incredible promises to the Christians who repel the pagan cultural influences and remain faithful to God’s call to holiness. The promises in Rev. 2:26-28 include authority over the nations, being able to rule the nations with an iron rod, receiving authority from the Father, receiving the “morning star” (a term for Jesus Christ).
Next week: Letter to the church at Sardis.
How to live victorious lives
John 15:4 “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.”
1 John 2:16 (NIV) – “For everything in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--comes not from the Father but from the world.
1 John 2:16 (NLT) – “For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.”
Jesus Christ, the Savior- You must be born again
The sinless Jesus Christ took on the sins of the world AND the punishment for those sins so that we could be saved.
Today, if you do not know Jesus, receive His free offer of salvation and put all your trust in Him.
John 1:29 (NLT) – “The next day he [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
2 Corinthians 6:2 – “ For God says,
“At just the right time, I heard you.
On the day of salvation, I helped you.”
Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.”
Acts 2:38 (NLT) – “Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”
Shalom
Faith Today Christian Ministries
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