#38 On the Nature of God: Revelations from Revelation: Thyatira

Have you ever thought that you had completely finished a task or assignment only to discover at the last minute that one thing was missing or wrong? (I can almost hear a parent’s remark after an afternoon of mowing the grass, “You forgot to edge the flower bed by the back door!) Usually, we are unhappy to hear that we lack one thing before we get it all absolutely correct.

The church at Thyatira was like that and had one member teaching error, Revelation 2:19-25:

“‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 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. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 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. But to 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.”

Here is a church with many good qualities. They had love and patience and faith and endurance. Further, they were growing in that they were doing more than before. This might have been thought to be good enough by many. Not so. They had one member, named Jezebel by Jesus, who was teaching those members that would listen to her to eat food offered to idols and to practice sexual immorality. She had been given time to repent, before the church would have to discipline her. But she would not. As a warning to other churches, Jesus would destroy her and her adherents. They would get exactly what they deserved.

Thankfully, not all the members were following her and her teachings. It was the nature of Jesus to be aware of these faithful members and not provide any additional burden to them. He only encouraged them to hold fast to their faith.

It is the nature of God to know about false members that teach error and to demand they be disciplined as appropriate. He also knows about faithful members and encourages them to remain faithful.

The lesson to us is to remain true to the faith and not fall for the teaching of error. But when error comes we should correct it.

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