The Bible urges us to use a Biblical and critical thought process to discern what is good and bad. Judgment based on Scripture is considered righteous, but judgment measured out of our deceitful hearts and minds is wrong. We must not accept what is Biblically wrong. Today we are force to except without reservation the cultures reset of good and evil. Our children are being indoctrinated to accept occultist rituals that really worship Satan. Here is a clip taken from the Michelle Obama library and these practices are going on around the country in our schools.

An Iowa mother blasted school board members for not tending to parent concerns related to a drag show held at the local high school — all while wearing the same outfit that one of the drag performers had worn. Ms. Reicks said “Does this outfit make you turn your head? Does this outfit seem appropriate for anybody here to see? This is what the man dressed like in front of our kids. “So if this makes your head spin, if this ticks you off in any way, shape, or form — it should. Because I’m embarrassed to stand here in the outfit that I am in today, but I have a point to prove — that this outfit should not be ever accepted in our schools anywhere.” This is tolerance too far and we should not be expected to accept this as Christians.

The Churches of Thyatira is known as the tolerance church and not in the good sense. This is the church that tolerated sin, the church that absorbed sin, and lived happily with it. This is the kind of church that is becoming common today, this is the emerging church.

I. The Lord’s Commendation (v.18-19)

1. Jesus introduces himself as the Son of God (deity) whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. These two indications, eyes like flaming fire and feet like burnished bronze, speak of penetrating judgment. His eyes are like a divine laser. They can see through to the fatal flaws in the church. The eyes of blazing fire remind us of the intelligence that God has. Brass is pure and highly refined in the fire. It emphasized Christ steadfastness; brass was the strongest known metal in the ancient world, and feet like fine brass would be strong and unmovable. He can see through any deceptions and wants us to be purified by Christ’s blood. God can see through our motives and also into our situation.

2. He commends them (v.19) in what they are doing well. Unlike the Church in Ephesus, they do have love but they embrace corrupt doctrine.
“Works” were the credentials of true believers. The Roman Catholic Church is noted for its great accomplishments and help for humanity, like: hospitals, monasteries, etc.
“Love”. This was a church noted for its love and its ability to show its love to the less fortunate. There were some saints of God during that period such as: John Wycliffe.
“Faith”. The church is known for its faithfulness because this is what moves the hands of “works’ and “love”.
“Ministry”- Their service to their fellow man is manifested in their good works.
“Patience” is their endurance during those days of darkness. “Thy last works are more than the first”. In this church, works increased not diminished.

II. Condemnation: He reproves them (v.20-23)

1. They had sadly become indifferent to sin. They tolerated that Jezebel. To expose her true character, the Lord Jesus calls her Jezebel. We don’t know who she was in this church but we can get a good idea what she was like when we look at the original character in 1 Kings 16:31. Jezebel, as I mentioned led Israel into idolatry and immorality, and so here is a woman doing the same in Thyatira and she deserves the same name, Jezebel.

2. She had succeeded in corrupting the church. Characteristic of Jezebel helps us to understand this Church and this time. She stirred Ahab to set up an altar for Baal in the temple that he built in Samaria and brought Baal worship to God’s people. She was arrogance and full of pride, she was a liar and deceiver; she was a conspirator and accessory to murder. She was a thief and a mass murderer. She was wicked!

3. God gave Jezebel and her follower’s time to repent. Just as he did the original Jezebel but she would not. She never did! She was so wicked she was eaten of dogs when she died just as the Prophet Elijah had foretold in I Kings 9:10.
Just as Jezebel influenced Ahab to sin against God, this woman in the church of Thyatira was influencing members of the church for evil. By her teachings she misleads many into sexual immorality.

4. Remember Thyatira was well-known for its trade guilds and it was because of them that believers faced bitter persecution. If a man wanted to enter a trade or to advance in it, he or she had to belong to that particular trade guild- Unfortunately, each of these trade guilds had a patron deity and had communal meals that began and ended with sacrifices to their wicked gods.

Drinking and sexual immorality were included in these services. Since earning a living was difficult outside the trade guilds, many believers were tempted to compromise their faith. Here is this compromising woman who comes in and she appeals to their basic need for work and employment and comes up with some philosophy that seems to work, and they buy it.

5. It’s amazing what Christians buy into. They bought in to that kind of foolishness. By the way, they’re still buying into it. Love was fine. Serving people was fine. Being faithful to the gospel was fine. Enduring through the hard times- fine. But don’t ask us to take a strong stand on sin. Don’t ask us to take a strong stand on doctrine….

6. Under the guise of promoting spirituality, the “Jezebel” at Thyatira was advocating carnality and immorality. This woman had evidently been elevated to a place of prominence in the church. Just as Jezebel influenced Ahab to sin against God, this woman in the church of Thyatira used deception to influence and sway some members of this church. — Are you being deceived? Are you saved”

What was the sickbed? It is an image of affliction, or it could be literal sickness that Jesus allowed in the lives of Jezebel and her followers as chastisement. We know from passages of Scripture such as 1 Corinthians 11:30 that God can use sickness as a way to chastise His people when they are in sin. I will kill her children with death: “All men die, but not all are killed with death. — Acts 15 verse 28-29.

Sadly, this letter is written at the end of the first century. By the end of the second century there was no church in Thyatira, it was gone of existence.

III. Christ offers Admonition, verses 24-29.

1. However a small group of believers saw through her deception, but the rest either followed her or allowed her to teach in the church without objection. He addresses “the rest”, that is those who do not hold this doctrine. Christ said that He would put no other burden on them. The burden placed on the church was to stop permitting false teachers from spreading their error. To the godly remnant, those who resist her evil influence, Christ gives a special word of comfort and exhorts them to “hold fast” to the blessedness which they already have and await His returning (vs. 24). In verse 25 He instructs them to hold fast, to remain faithful.

2. Verses 26-27 discuss the fact that we are reigning with Christ in our efforts to carry out the Great Commission and the promise of reward to the overcomers. Verse 28 discusses the “morning star” in Revelation 22:16 it reveals who the morning star is… a designation of Christ as the herald to his people of the eternal day. Jesus offers rewards those who overcome. Verse 29 well if your saved you have the spirit of God so hear and abide by what He said.

Conclusion: Love is fine, serving others is fine but we must take a strong stand on doctrine being faithful to the gospel.