HISTORICAL CONTEXT

      The Book of Revelation was written by the Apostle
John (1:1) while exiled on the island of Patmos because
of his Christian life and witness (1:9), under oppressive
Roman persecution headed by the emperor Domitian in about
96 A.D.  This is asserted by Ireneaus - a reliable
witness, having been a disciple of Polycarp, who himself
was instructed by the apostles and had familiar
communications with many who had seen the risen Christ
(Staniforth, 1968, p. 135).  Eusebius also makes this
claim, but his source was Ireneaus (Wilson, n.d., p. 4).
Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Hippolytus and Origen also
attribute the work to the Apostle John (Goswiller, n.d.,
p. 3).

      About 250 A.D. Dionysius of Alexandria claimed that
the language of Revelation differed greatly from that of
the gospel and the epistles, and ascribed the authorship
to a different John (Wilson, n.d., p. 4).  Although
reference is often made to Dionysius, there has been no
effort to verify or explain his findings, and they should
be taken, at least, with caution.  A further complication
came when Papias claimed that John was martyred before
the destruction of Jerusalem  (Goswiller, n.d., p. 3).

      There now exists much difference in opinion as to
the author and date of writing.  There are those who
believe Revelation was written in 96 A.D. but not by John
the Apostle.  There are also those (namely Preterists)
who believe Revelation was written before 70 A.D., but by
John, his Greek having improved by the time he wrote the
gospel and epistles.  Nevertheless the clear and
overwhelming testimony of both the early Church and the
internal evidence is that the Apostle John wrote the book
in 96 A.D.

      The book was written as a circular letter to seven
Churches in the Roman province of Asia, as seen by 1:4-6,
1:11 and 22:1 - the habit of referring to chapters 2-3 as
the seven "letters" is misleading (Bauckham, 1993, p. 2).
The entire book is a single circular letter, with seven
messages addressed to each individual Church.


LITERARY CONTEXT

      Not only is the Book of Revelation a letter, it is
an apocalypse (1:1) and a prophecy (1:3).  The fact that
it is an apocalypse associates it with a genre of Jewish
literature in existence at the time, concerned with the
divine perspective on human troubles (Caird, 1966, p. 9).
The fact that it is a prophecy associates John with the
Old Testament prophetic tradition.  It is essential that
the book is understood from these three perspectives in
order to be correctly understood (Bauckham, 1993, p. 1-
17).


PASSAGE CONTEXT

      Thyatira was a city in Asia Minor (modern day
Turkey).  Besides the Book of Revelation, it is only
mentioned in the Bible as the city where the purple cloth
came from which Lydia sold in Philippi (Acts 16:11-15; in
his commentary, Caird humourously makes reference to "The
Purple Cloth Company").  It was founded by Seleucus I as
a frontier post to guard one of the western approaches to
his straggling empire, but it had no military strength
and after incorporation into the Roman empire it owed its
importance entirely to trade (Caird, 1966, p. 43).  Later
it became a centre of Montanism (Moffatt, 1970, p. 359)
and today it is the modern Turkish city of Akhisar
(Goswiller, n.d., p. 15).  Interestingly, Thyatira was
historically the least important of the seven cities, yet
it has the longest message addressed to it.

      The major problems in Thyatira arose not from
zealous promoters of the imperial cult, due to the
relative unimportance of the city.  Rather, they sprang
from the many trades' and craftsmen's guilds in
existence.  Every craftsman and trader naturally belonged
to their appropriate guild.  Beasley-Murray (1978, p. 90)
explains that the meetings of these societies included a
common meal, dedicated to a pagan deity, and frequently
ended in sheer debauchery and licentiousness.  He
continues,

    The embarrassment for Christians was obvious.  How
    could they join in such social occasions and maintain
    faith and conscience unsullied?  The Nicolaitans had
    a ready answer - and thereby they provided the
    pitfall for the Church at Thyatira.


PASSAGE CONTENTS

      "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

Jesus instructed John to write a particular message to
the Church in Thyatira.  As has already been noted, the
entire Book of Revelation is a circular letter to the
seven Churches.  The relevance of chapters two and three
is explained by Bauckham (1993, p. 13-14),

    In Revelation. . . . John has employed an apparently
    original method of writing a circular letter which
    speaks as specifically as could be desired to each
    particular church.  While most of his work is
    intended for all the churches indiscriminately, he
    introduces it with a series of seven specific
    messages from Christ to the seven churches (chapters
    2-3).  Each message is specifically relevant to the
    situation of the church addressed, which John knew
    well.

      John is specifically instructed to write to the
angel of the Church in Thyatira.  This is a particularly
problematic word, having three possible meanings.  The
angels may be heavenly beings, as they are elsewhere in
Revelation.  Beasley-Murray (1978, p. 68-69) finds this
the simplest view, the angels being responsible for the
welfare of each congregation.  He adduces support from
the close analogy of each nation having some sort of
guardian- or patron-angel (Daniel 10:13f, 20f).
Nevertheless, it seems a curious conjecture to suggest
that John would be directed to write to angels in this
sense.  Indeed, the message, along with the other six,
have in view the congregations themselves.

      The word "angel" also may mean human messengers,
however, and this is the case in Luke 9:52 and James
2:25, among other passages.  Thus John may have been
instructed to write to those who were to deliver the
message, but this is a dubious interpretation.

      The most plausible notion is that the "angels" are
actually people of responsibility within the Churches,
whether elders, bishops or teachers.  According to
Billerbeck the "angel of the Church" is a precise
translation of the Hebrew phrase shaliach zibbor, which
means one authorised by the congregation (Beasley-Murray,
1978, p. 69).  In the synagogue, the very phrase is used
of those appointed to lead in the prayers of the
congregation, although no office was involved, and any
may be appointed for a single occasion.  Thus, the
message is intended for the "angel" of the Church, who
would proclaim it to their congregation.

      These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes
are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished
bronze.

The title "Son of God" is a clear reference to Jesus, and
the sentence is virtually a summary of John's description
of the risen and glorified Christ in 1:14-15.

      Caird (1966, p. 43) notes that, "The tutelary god
of the city, Tyrimnos, had been identified with the Greek
sun-god, Apollo, and appears on the city's coins grasping
the hand of the Roman emperor" and suggests the
possibility that this sentence was put forward in
deliberate opposition to this combination of local and
imperial religion.  He further suggests that the meaning
of "burnished bronze" would have been known only by the
local guild of bronze-smiths, with which Moffatt (1970,
p. 359) agrees.

      Nevertheless, such shrouded interpretations seem
unsatisfactory.  Beasley-Murray (1978, p. 90) is more
plausible, seeing the sentence as anticipating the
contents of the message.  The "Son of God" meshes well
with the quote from Psalm 2:9 in verse 26.  The eyes of
"blazing fire" see into the hidden depths of the heart,
in verse 23.  The feet like "burnished bronze" have in
view the destructive judgment of verses 26-27.

      I know your deeds, your love and faith, your
service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more
than you did at first.

The Thyatiran Church was not retrograde like the Church
at Ephesus, rather it had progressed in its increasingly
effective Christian life and witness.  The Church was
commended for its love, faith, service and perseverance,
covering its relationships with God and man, as well as
its endurance of obstacles which arose (Beasley-Murray,
1978, p. 90).

      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.

Despite the commendation which the Thyatiran Church had
received, there was a flaw to be found.  The Church had
been "tolerating" a woman who Christ labels Jezebel.  Her
teachings were leading Christians, yet the Church was
taking a lenient line on all this.  Beasley-Murray (1978,
p. 90) explains,

    The reason for the symbolic name is clear.  The
    prophetess was no queen, and Jezebel was no
    prophetess, but both women constituted a threat to
    the continuance of true religion among the people of
    God.

      Jezebel was accused of "harlotries and sorceries"
(II Kings 9:22), presumably in reference to the
licentious Baal cult.  This was a close enough parallel
to warrant the application of her name to the prophetess,
who encouraged Christians to practice sexual immorality
and the eating of foods sacrificed to idols.  The charge
against her also closely resembles that against the
Nicolaitans of Pergamum and Caird (1966, p. 43) finds it
likely that she may have been the leader of that movement
also.  The woman had self-labeled herself a prophetess,
and sadly, undiscerning Christians had believed this
unwarrantedly.

      Caird (1966, p. 44) provides interesting reasoning
to suggest that the sexual immorality was not physical;
it rather referring to spiritual fornication - religious
infidelity.  The original Jezebel earned the hatred of
Elijah solely for attempting to seduce Israel from the
worship of the true God to that of Baal - for this alone
she was accused of harlotry (II Kings 9:22).  Further, in
I John 2:19; 4:1-3 John makes reference to a separatist
movement which split from the Church.  John believed
their denial of the incarnation had led them into moral
failing, but the only moral failing he brought against
them was a neglect of the claims of Christian love.  Not
even this charge could be labeled against the Thyatirans,
for the Church had actually made progress in love.  Thus,
Caird concludes that such a healthy Church would not
tolerate the preaching of sexual immorality, and hence
their accusation actually refers to their following a
false teacher.  This is a contrivance worth thought, but
ultimately is inadequate.  Just as the eating of meats
sacrificed to idols was a real and physical act, so was
the sexual immorality.

      Moffatt (1970, p. 360) offers a more plausible
alternative, in keeping with the historical context of
Thyatira,

    The sole flaw noted is an undue laxity shown to
    certain members (not, as at Pergamos, a mere
    minority) who, under the sway of an influential
    woman, refused to separate themselves from the local
    guilds where moral interests, though not ostensibly
    defied, were often seriously compromised.

      That the Church tolerated the woman implies that it
did not itself accept her teaching, nor adopt her life-
style.  However, undoubtedly a number in the Church had.
Beasley-Murray (1978, p. 91) writes,

    These would have formed a distinct group within the
    church, and the church as a whole was content for
    them to remain.  For the craftsmen and traders of
    Thyatira it would have been a relief to learn on the
    authority of the Spirit (for 'Jezebel' was a
    prophetess) that Christians need not separate
    themselves from the ways of the world, least of all
    in matters related to business, and that they could
    take their place in the town's guilds and participate
    in the celebrations which they organised.  They were
    assured that immorality and sacrificial meals were
    not to be feared, for men and women in whom the
    Spirit dwells know that the flesh cannot defile the
    spirit, and patron-gods of guilds are of no account.
    This is not an 'eat, drink, and be merry, for
    tomorrow we die' attitude, but an early form of the
    'beyond morality' concept.

      I have given her time to repent of her immorality,
but she is unwilling.

The Lord, perhaps through a prophet like John, has
already warned the prophetess of the error of her ways,
and called for a renunciation of them.  However, this has
been to no avail, and accordingly, Christ must come in
judgment upon the obdurate.  Her immorality was flagrant,
but moreso was her obstinate persistence in it.

      So I will cast on her a bed of suffering, and I
will make those who commit adultery with her suffer
intensely, unless they repent of her ways.  I will strike
her children dead.

The command to repent carries strong consequences for a
failure to comply.  Moffatt (1970, p. 360) states,

    The prophet takes up a puritan attitude, corroborated
    by that of the leading church in the district (ii.
    6); he demands in the name of Christ that such
    inconsistent members should withdraw - a severe and
    costly step to take, amid the social ties and
    interests of an Asiatic city, where social clubs were
    a recognised feature of civic life and appealed
    forcibly to several natural instincts, especially
    when backed by the approval of an oracular and
    impressive leader in the local church.

      Nevertheless, despite any discomfort and
embarrassment which may be caused, the servants of Christ
must repent of such behaviour.  Already judgment has been
decided for the prophetess - she will be cast on a bed of
suffering - and unless those who commit adultery with her
repent in time, they too will suffer intensely.

      The bed of suffering suggests that the prophetess
would be struck with disease, as is likely the case with
the unrepentant person in Corinth (I Corinthians 5:5).
In time too, this would be the same judgment on those who
followed her - the adulterers and the children.  Beasley-
Murray (1978, p. 91) doubts that one is intended to
distinguish the persons mentioned as though the
"adulterers" were somehow less culpable than the
"children".  Rather, John employs typical prophetic
language to denote that the entire group of the followers
of the prophetess will be brought to an end, both those
who participate in her sins and those who embrace her
teachings and ways.

      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.

In theory, the Churches know what Christ is capable of.
Yet, in practice, such is often not the case.  Just as
with Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5) the Churches will be
given a powerful demonstration and reminder.  Christ
searches hearts and minds and can discern motives.  One
may be assured that he will repay - God is not mocked -
a person reaps what they sow (Galatians 6:7).

      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): Only hold on to what you have until
I come.

Despite the problems caused by the prophetess, there were
still those who had not fallen sway to her teachings.  It
is to these people that the rest of the message is
directed.

      Not only had they not fallen in this manner, but
they had not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets.
This notion has been generally taken to mean one of two
things (Beasley-Murray, 1978, p. 92; Caird, 1966, p. 44-
45; Moffatt, 1970, p. 362) - firstly, that the prophetess
and her followers believed that they claimed to know the
deep secret of God (I Corinthians 2:10), but Christ
contemptuously retorts that their deep secrets are in
fact the secrets of Satan.  Her inspiration was not from
heaven, rather hell.  Their practices do not lead into
the secret place of the Most High, only into a deeper
acquaintance with Satan.  Secondly, this passage
potentially indicates that the errorists actually
considered that some accommodation to pagan practices
gave them a necessary acquaintance with the meaning of
evil; they had superiority by their freedom in the Spirit
to demonstrate their superiority over the so-called sins
of the flesh.  They were confident that their Christian
experience gave them a supernatural protection from the
onslaughts of Satan, that they might handle fire without
being burned.  Most likely the true meaning is a
combination of these two.

      It is to the people who have not learned such
things that Jesus turns His attention to.  He only asks
one thing of them, so as not to burden them, and that is
that they hold steadfastly to that which they have until
He returns - the teaching of the Apostles, and their
works, love, faith, service and perseverance.

      To him who overcomes and does my will to the end,

One must give unflagging attention to the duties of
Christian life.  This call to conquer is a consistent
theme in the messages to the seven Churches.  Bauckham
(1993, p. 14) describes it as a call to engage in the
eschatological battle described in the central chapters
of Revelation in order to reach the eschatological
destiny described at the of Revelation.  This is the
closest to a definition of a conqueror given to any of
the seven Churches - one who holds fast to the good
things they have and who does Christ's will until either
He returns or their own death.

      I will give authority over the nations - '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.

It is to such people as described above that Christ will
give authority over the nations, such as the authority He
has received from the Father.  Just as the Psalmist
declares that the King who is the divine Son is promised
the nations as his inheritance and will shatter all
opposition with them, so the conqueror is promised
authority and the power to crush the opposing forces of
paganism and all resistance to the will of God.  This is
an incomprehensible privilege to share in Christ's
sovereignty and His judicial rule - reiterated again and
again in the Book of Revelation.

      I will also give him the morning star.

To such a person, Christ also makes a remarkable
promise.  Undoubtedly the morning star is Jesus Himself
(22:16).  This does not mean, however, that the victor
will have possession of Christ; rather the situation is
as in 1:20 where the seven stars are in Christ's hand,
representing His sovereignty and protection.  The
conqueror is thus doubly assured of their participation
with Christ in the glory of His kingdom (Beasley-
Murray, 1978, p. 93-94).

      He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
says to the churches.

The message that has been given was inspired by the Holy
Spirit.  It was not by any authority either human or
Satanic.  Not only this, but although the message was
particularly addressed to the Church at Thyatira, the
concluding generalisation reveals that there is a
meaning for all the Churches.  There is value in it for
any who is listening to what the Spirit is saying.


APPLICATION TO THE "HERE AND NOW"

      There is an abundance of practical lessons which
may be learned from this passage by modern-day readers.
Guthrie (1987, p. 78) derives from this passage an
excellent point,

    If at this early stage in Christian history such
    inroads had been made, it is incumbent on the
    churches in each succeeding age to examine their
    approach to wrong teaching.  Is the modern church
    vigilant enough?  Has it become too permissive
    towards those who deviate from the purity of doctrine
    and high moral demands of New Testament Christianity?

      The Church at Thyatira was so easily led astray.
It is essential that Christians watch both their life and
doctrine closely (I Timothy 4:16).  The Church should not
tolerate false teachers.  It should adhere to high
standards of moral purity.  Further, it must be
discerning as to who it promotes.

      A second important lesson is to do with compromise.
Moffatt (1970, p. 361) states,

    Membership of a trade-guild, although it necessarily
    involved the recognition of some pagan deity and
    often led to orgies, was a most important matter for
    every tradesman or artisan; it aided his business,
    and brought him many advantages socially.

      Although such membership had social and material
advantages, it was not beneficial due to that which it
entailed.  Christians need to be aware of these things in
all aspects of their life.  Should Christians belong to
service clubs, or other types of groups?  It is clear
that the Freemasons have received considerable bad press
by much of evangelical Christianity, and whether or not
the claims of Satanic activity are true, at the very
least the Christian needs to realise that Freemasonry
involves a compromise in that one is prohibited from
worshipping Jesus; rather a neutral, "common" god is the
object of veneration.  In a similar vein, a Christian
must be very careful when choosing a vocation.  Is it
acceptable to work in the alcoholic or modeling
industries, for example?  One need even go so far as to
ask if a Christian may be employed at a movie theatre or
a newsagency in good conscience, given the types of
movies or publications which such a business relies on
for its continuation.

      No matter what the harsh realities of life may be,
and the drive to succeed, one must be ever mindful of the
higher calling that a Christian has.  The Christian is a
citizen of heaven and must simultaneously live in the
world, while not of it (James 4).


WORKS CITED

Bauckham, R. 1980. 'Apocalyptic', in The Illustrated
     Bible Dictionary, ed. F. F. Bruce, Inter-Varsity
     Press.

________. 1993. The Theology of the Book of
     Revelation, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Beasley-Murray, G. R. 1978. The New Century Bible
     Commentary: Revelation, rev. ed., Wm. B. Eerdmans
     Publishing Company, Michigan.

Caird, G. B. 1966. A Commentary on the Revelation of St.
     John the Divine, Adam and Charles Black, London.

Goswiller, R. n.d. Revelation, Pacific Study Series,
     Melbourne.

Guthrie, D. 1987. The Relevance of John's Apocalypse, The
     Paternoster Press, Exeter.

Moffatt, J. 1970. 'Revelation', in The Expositor's Greek
     Testament, Vol. 5, ed. W. R. Nicoll, Wm. B. Eerdmans
     Publishing Company, Michigan.

Staniforth, M. 1968. Early Christian Writings: The
     Apostolic Fathers, Dorset Press, New York.

Stern, D. 1992. Jewish New Testament Commentary, Jewish
     New Testament Publications, Inc., Maryland.

Wilson, C. n.d. The Book of Revelation, Pacific College
     Study Series, Melbourne.

davidmwilliams@oocities.com