[28]"To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. [19] I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. [20] Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. [21] I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. [22] So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely [into great tribulation, KJV], unless they repent of her ways. [23] I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. [24] Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): [25] Only hold on to what you have until I come. [26] To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—[27] `He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery' -- just as I have received authority from my Father. [28] I will also give him the morning star. [29] He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Thyatira: means daughter. The problem in this Church was with respect to tolerating a woman named Jezebel who was leading astray Jesus’ servants into sexual immorality and worship of false gods (or idols v.20).
The Son of God: Jesus identifies himself as the Son of God; Never in the Bible Jesus make such direct and exclusive claim of being the Son of God. But here He makes His deity (Second Person of the Trinity) very very clear; He is God and there is no other beside Him. He deserve every man and every creature worship Him. This is the best way for Jesus to challenge and save his servants who are falling away into worshipping other gods (eating food sacrificed to idols in Rev 2:20).
Jesus eyes are like blazing fire and his feet are like burnished bronze: Blazing fire alludes to searching or inspection and judgment. Burnished bronze also alludes to severe judgment. Why did Jesus compare his eyes and feet in this way? More on this later.
Jesus commends: their deeds, love (as against the church in Ephesus), faith, service, perseverance. What is more they are improving in these areas.
Jesus’ concerns for correction: “You tolerate…” The activity of Jezebel indeed was a problem and Jesus will deal with that. But the problem with the church was that the church was tolerating her. What should the church be doing rather? Exposing her! Challenging her! Rejecting her doctrine! Correcting her! (Church in Ephesus was commended for rejecting the false prophets and hating the doctrines of the Nicolaitans.) The church’s calling is to be the light of the world, i.e. to confront, expose and remove the darkness. The church’s calling is not to tolerate the darkness even for the sake of peace, harmony, political correctness or whatever!
Jesus gave Jezebel time to repent but she did not: Even the most harmful and dangerous enemy of Jesus is given chance to repent. In Jesus everyone gets chance to repent and be saved (in fact many chances throughout our life on earth!). This reveals the heart of our ever merciful Lord and Savior: He wants not a single person to perish and go to hell. The way of hell is only for those who persistently reject his offer of salvation. He is truly the righteous Judge.
Jezebel would receive the punishment she deserves: Jezebel and all those Christians who committed adultery (spiritually speaking worship of false gods) will be cast onto the Great Tribulation (KJV). (also mentioned in Matt 24:21, KJV). There is a serious misunderstanding among Christians that the Great Tribulation at the end of the age is Satan brining great sufferings on Christians. But the truth is, The Great Tribulation is actually Jesus bringing on the Antichrist and his empire and the fallen Christians will also suffer under this. Jesus also punishes all of Jezebel’s children, her spiritual offspring who follow her into idol worship. At the end of the age and the beginning of the new age, the Millennial kingdom (Jesus’ 1000 year literal rule on the earth), he will get rid of all kinds of false gods and false worship systems. That is the reason Jesus at the beginning of this letter introduces himself as the Son of God: He is God, there is no other gods beside Him.
Past, Present and Future: The mention of Jezebel takes us back into a period of history in Israel, when Israel was divided into Judah in the south and Israel in the north. Jezebel was the queen of Israel, the wife of king Ahab (1Ki 16:29-22:40; 2Ki 9-11). Jezebel promoted Baal and Asherah religion. She killed most of the prophets of the Lord. Ahab supported her and himself became the most evil king under her influence. They were challenged by Elijah the prophet and there was a great show down at Mt Carmel, where Elijah revealed God as only true God and slaughtered 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah on a single day! Ahab was punished by God, so was Jezebel according the prophecies of Elijah.
The letter to the Church in Thyatira and the problem there is a bridge between the history and the future. What happened during Ahab and Jezebel was only a foreshadow of what will happen in the end time during the reign of the Antichrist and the Harlot Babylon, one world religion. The work and ministry of prophet Elijah foreshadows the ministry of the end-time church under the leadership of the Two Witnesses in Rev 11:1-14.
Let’s have a look at these amazing parallels to see the big picture!
A comparison between Ahab and the Antichrist:
Ahab king of Israel | Antichrist a.k.a. the Beast (World leader) |
Most wicked king, more than any of his predecessors (1Ki 16:30) | Most wicked world leader at the end of the age (Rev 13:5) |
His Baal and Asherah worship provoked God to anger (16:33) | He promotes the worship of the dragon (Satan) and demands everyone to worship him. |
Described as one who sold himself to doing evil (1Ki 21:25) | He sets himself against God and heaven (Rev 13:6); Gives himself to the cause of the dragon to be worshipped by all nations (Rev 13:2) and exercises power and authority on behalf of the dragon |
Most evil man ever (1Ki 21:25) | Is described by Paul as the Man of Sin or Man of Lawlessness (2Th 2:3). He is the personification of the sin of man. |
Marries Jezebel and fully supports and promotes her Baal and Asherah worship (spiritual harlotry) (1Ki 16:31; 1Ki 21:25) | Shown as the carrier of the Harlot Babylon. The Harlot Babylon here is not a person but a city & a religious system that the Antichrist promotes through his influence and funding as peace-loving, all-embracing one world religion with a promise to solve world problems (terrorism, food security, international conflicts etc). Antichrist uses this religious system to come to the world stage (Rev 17:3) |
He sees Elijah the prophet as a troubler and enemy when Elijah challenges his idol worship and shuts down rain for three and half years (1Ki 18:17; 1Ki 21:20) | The praying and prophetic end-time church which seeks to expose the Antichrist’s one world religion, one world economic system and sinister design for Antichrist worship and dragon worship invites his anger and rage. |
He proceeds to kill all of God’s prophets, esp Elijah (1Ki 18:4,10) | The Antichrist is give power to make war against the saints and to conquer them (Rev 13:7) |
To punish him to death, God uses a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahab’s prophets who promise him victory in his war (1Ki 22:23) | Demonic spirit go out of the mouths of the Antichrist, False Prophet and the Dragon to deceive the kings of the earth to gather and to fight against Jesus in the battle of Armageddon (Rev 16:14). Under the influence of these lying spirits they believe that it is possible and it is necessary to fight against Jesus and defeat him. |
Although tries to disguise himself during a battle, gets killed by an unknown man’s arrow (1Ki 22:33) | He will be captured by Jesus along with the false prophet and will be thrown alive to the fiery lake of burning sulfur (Rev 19:19-21) |
Parallels between Jezebel (wife of Ahab) and the Harlot Babylon in Revelation 17-19
Jezebel (wife of Ahab) | Babylon the Great (Woman riding on the Beast) |
She was a princess (daughter of Ethbal, king of Sidon) and a queen (1Ki 16:31) | She boasts as a queen who would never become a widow (Rev 18:7) |
She ruled over Ahab, and the nobles and elders of Israel (1Ki 21:7,8,11,14) | She is described as rulers of the kings of the earth (Rev 17:18) |
Her daughter Athaliah who marries a king of Judah brings Baal and Asherah worship to Judah | Known as the mother of all prostitutes and mother of abominations (meaning idol worship) of the earth (Rev 17:5) |
She made witchcraft abound (2Ki 9:22) | Described as home for demons, every evil spirit and unclean birds (Rev 18:2) |
She had murderous spirit – was determine to kill all the prophets of God (1Ki 18:4,13) | Described as drunk with the blood of those who bore testimony of Jesus (Rev 17:6;18:24;19:2) |
Financially supported 450 fulltime prophets of Baal and 400 fulltime prophets of Asherah from royal income (1Ki 18:19) | Merchant of the earth grow rich from her excessive luxuries (Rev 18:3) and sea merchants become rich through her wealth (Rev 18:19) |
Used Ahab’s seal and deception for murder and theft (Naboth’s vineyard) | Under Antichrist’s rule and the one world economic system no one can buy or sell without the mark of the Beast (Rev 13:17) |
Punished by Jehu under the anointing of God (2Ki 9:32,33) | Gets her punishment when the angel pours out 7th bowl (final judgment) full of God’s wrath on the air (Rev 16:17,19) |
She is thrown down from window and falls on the ground and dies (2Ki 9:33). Also horses trampled her underfoot. | When Babylon is punished the message from heaven: “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!” (Rev 14:8;18:2) |
After her death, dogs licked up and nothing remained in her body except the skull, feet and hands (2Ki 9:35) in fulfillment of Elijah prophecy | After Jesus’ return many cities will be rebuilt but Babylon will never be rebuilt again (Rev 18:21-24) |
Parallels between Elijah and the Two Witnesses (Rev 11:1-14)
Elijah the prophet (1Ki 17 – 2Ki 2) | The Two Witnesses (Rev 11:1-14) |
Name: Elijah the Tishbite | Name unknown, but the nature and work of their ministries resemble that of Moses and Elijah combined |
He challenged Ahab to seek the living God instead of idols | They will expose Antichrist’s desire to be worshipped and call people to Jesus the living God and coming King (Rev 11:3,4) |
Shuts heaven resulting in no rain in Israel for three and half years (1Ki 17:1, James 5:17) | During the time of their prophetic ministry they shut rain for 42 months, i.e 1260 days or three and half years (Rev 11:6) |
During drought on the whole land, he was taken care by supernatural provisions (17) | They along with end-time church will experience supernatural provision in spite of famine and inability to buy and sell without the mark of the beast |
Seen by Ahab as troubler and enemy | The world will look at them as if they are the source of all troubles and will celebrate their death (Rev 11:10) |
Opposed Baal worship and revealed the living God of Israel (18) | They will oppose Antichrist worship system as this will lead people to second death in the fiery lake of burning sulfur (Rev 11:3,4) |
Slaughtered 850 fulltime prophets of Baal and Asherah at Mt Carmel (18) | They will kill some of their enemies through the fire from their mouth (can mean word of judgment) (Rev 11:5) |
Elijah performed other great miracles such as supernatural provision and raising up a dead boy (17) | They have power to turn water into blood, and every kind of plague as often as they want (Rev 11:6) |
In spite of great power and authority still a man of fear and vulnerabilities; runs to save his life from Jezebel and hides (19) | After they finish their testimony, they will be killed by the Antichrist and their bodies will be refused burial and kept for display (Rev 11:9) |
Went up to heaven alive in a whirlwind of the chariot and horses of fire (2Ki2:11) | After three days, God resurrects them in public view and they go up to heaven in a cloud (Rev 11:12) just like Jesus. |
Appeared with Moses at the Transfiguration of Jesus before one of the most significant work of the Messiah (his death and resurrection) (Mt 17:2,3) | My guess: The two witnesses will be part of the victory procession of Jesus when he returns to rule, which will be the final work of the Messiah to restore all things |
Primary sins at the end of the age: REV 9:20 The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood--idols that cannot see or hear or walk. [21] Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Jesus’ eyes like blazing fire searches hearts and minds (Rev 2:23): When Jezebel and Ahab used deception to take possession of Nabaioth’s vineyard, they thought nobody would know about it, except for the nobles and elders who were party in their scheme. But God knew what he did! He sent Elijah to confront Ahab’s sin of deception and theft. 1KI 21:18 "Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel…. He is now in Naboth's vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it… ‘This is what the LORD says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?'…” Jesus’ eyes of fire searches and exposes evil schemes and desires and even hidden thoughts. Then he repays us (or punishes) according to our deeds (Rev 2:23)
Jesus’ feet like burnished bronze crushes his enemies: There were two reasons for Jezebel’s death. One falling from the window and two, the horses trampled her underfoot. Feet of burnished bronze is a picture of judgment. The end time Jezebel, Harlot Babylon one world religion, will be trampled under his feet which are like burnished bronze and completely crushed.
Jezebel in Israel’s history and the woman named Jezebel in the church of Thyatira gives us a hint about the ultimate Jezebel: The Harlot Babylon religious system in the end time
1) Jezebel, Ahab’s wife: Her zeal for idol worship, murderous spirit and theft are emphasized
2) Jezebel in Thyatira : Her teaching on sexual immorality and idol worship are emphasized
Note: the Harlot Babylon one world religious system will have all these qualities to the extreme: She will defile the consciences of many well meaning people through sexual immorality and idol worship. She will be rich through theft by enforcing mark of the Beast as the only means for trade. Although she will do many humanitarian services (feeding the poor etc) she and her followers will be intoxicated with the blood of the Christians, meaning she will kill many sincere Christians to death
Paul’s warning for the end time church when believers will abandon faith and follow deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. 1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, 3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. (1 Timothy 4:1-3, KJV)
Jesus’ promises to the overcomer: Jesus will give to the overcomer, 1) authority over the nations (Rev 20:4); and 2) the morning star (Rev 22:16)
REV 20:4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
REV 22:16 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."
Conclusion: As a church we are called not to tolerate the Harlot Babylon, a religious system that is emerging in the nations of the earth, that says all religions are good, all paths lead to heaven, but is inspired by doctrines of demons. We are not to tolerate this for the sake of political correctness! We are to oppose it like Elijah did in his generation and as the end time draws near, we will be helped and inspired by the Two Witnesses who will expose the Harlot Babylon and challenge her. God is anointing those who proclaim Jesus the Son of God (only God, no other besides Him), even if it will be politically most incorrect in the days ahead! Especially in India, the land of 33 million gods and idols, may God help us to proclaim the exclusive deity of Jesus and challenge the spiritual harlotry in the land. Amen.
