In the last chapter we closed the period concerning
the “Dark Ages.” In this presentation, we consider
the only one of the Seven Churches of Asia that falls
within this time frame. That church is the Church at
Thyatira.
Revelation 2:18-29
18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira
write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath
his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are
like fine brass;
19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and
faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last
to be more than the first.
20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against
thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel,
which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to
seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to
eat things sacrificed unto idols.
21 And I gave her space to repent of her
fornication; and she repented not.
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22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that
commit adultery with her into great tribulation,
except they repent of their deeds.
23 And I will kill her children with death; and all
the churches shall know that I am he which
searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto
every one of you according to your works.
24 But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira,
as many as have not this doctrine, and which have
not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will
put upon you none other burden.
25 But that which ye have already hold fast till I
come.
26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works
unto the end, to him will I give power over the
nations:
27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the
vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers:
even as I received of my Father.
28 And I will give him the morning star.
29 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
saith unto the churches.
(KJV)
The Church at Thyatira
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Jesus’ message to the Church at Thyatira is the
longest of all the messages to the Seven Churches.
As far as the time periods for the churches are
concerned, this one is probably the longest. This era
is the one that spans the “Middle Ages,” which is
commonly called “The Dark Ages” from A.D. 590–
1517.
This period of almost 1,000 years is probably the
worst and bloodiest time in history—at least as far as
the Lord’s churches are concerned. This is the church
of the Middle Ages, during the murderous reign of
the Roman Catholic Church.
"Verse 20 is strong testimony that we have correctly
applied these churches. Jezebel is a figurative name,
alluding to Ahab's wife, who slew the prophets of the
Lord, led her husband into idolatry, and fed the
prophets of Baal at her own table. A more striking
figure could not have been used to denote the Papal
abominations." (Review and Herald, vol 8, Oct 16,
1856)
In this time of spiritual darkness, the true gospel was
abandoned, and Christianity was replaced by the old
pagan form of sun worship, dressed in a garb of
Christianity.
Jezebel seems to be a central influential figure with
this church. In the Old Testament, Jezebel led Israel
into sun worship. Now this obviously isn't going to
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be the same woman. This is referring to a spiritual
Jezebel. Now in Bible prophecy, a woman represents
a church, and this apostate church is leading God's
people into fornication with her. In other words, she
is leading people into accepting her false doctrines,
and instead of Thyatira rejecting what this woman
(apostate church) is teaching, they are allowing it.
Do we see this today? Oh yes!
The Roman Catholic Church has led billions of
people astray with her false doctrines, and some
Catholic doctrines are still taught in many protestant
denominations.
This is just an overview: now let us consider some
details.
Thyatira is 45 miles southeast of Pergamos. The city
was founded as Pelopia, a shrine to the Lydian sun-
god Tyrimnus. The city was located on
the Hermus River. The city was rebuilt by Selecus
Nicator (301-281 B.C.) and made into a frontier
garrison.
The city became a center for small manufacture and
trade. Thyatira was famous for its highly organized
trade unions (cooperatives) and specialization in
“purple” dye made from the madder root rather than
the more expensive shellfish. Lydia in Acts 16:14
was a “Purple” merchant and a convert to Judaism
who came from the Thyatira.
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18And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira
write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath
his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are
like fine brass;
Son of God. Jesus Christ recalls for this Church His
deity and holiness. This Church fully embraced the
pagan way of the Greeks.
Eyes like a flame. The eyes of Christ are piercing
seeing every action His church was involved. The
picture of fire demonstrates His anger at this church
for what is being allowed to take place.
Feet...fine
brass.
Gr. calkolivbanon Chalkolibanon, this word is only
used twice in scripture in Revelation 1:15; 2:18. The
meaning seems to be a precious alloy, pointing to
brilliance of the metal illustrating Christ as Holy
Judge.
19I know thy works, and charity, and service, and
faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last
to be more than the first.
Works. Thyatira best relates to the period known as
the Dark ages of the Church, where the doctrine of
Jesus Christ’s deity was taught but other elements
were added which corrupted the Church.
20Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee,
because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which
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calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce
my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things
sacrificed unto idols.
21And I gave her space to repent of her fornication;
and she repented not.
22Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that
commit adultery with her into great tribulation,
except they repent of their deeds.
23And I will kill her children with death; and all
the churches shall know that I am he which
searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto
every one of you according to your works.
Woman Jezebel. To illustrate the problem at this
church Christ uses the Old Testament character of
Jezebel. Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, King of
Sidonians. She tried to corrupt Israel, by having Israel
worship Baal and Asthtorah the pantheon originating
in Babylon. The teaching of Jezebel mirrors the attempts
of the early Gnostics to move Christianity toward the Greek
religion with its pantheon of gods and goddesses. The
Greek religion’s influence began to fall with the
spread of Christianity.
Satan used the method used against Israel under
Jezebel, he tried to get the church to incorporate the
gods
and
goddesses
of
Greece
with
a
Judaic/Christian package. This is the story behind the
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Gnostics and The Da Vinci Code. It’s the same strategy
used in the past just rewritten for a different era.
Jezebel at this church foretells the attempts within the
Catholic Church to make Mary the co-redemptrix
with Christ. This doctrine is blasphemous, but taken
seriously by many within the Catholic Church, in fact
a petition with over 5-million signatures was
delivered to the Pope requesting the church announce
Mary
as
co-redemptrix.
Mary
is
already
acknowledged as the “Queen of Heaven” and Mother
of God within the church, these blasphemous
teachings caused many to stumble and miss eternity.
Prophetess. In Thyatira, a woman, some feel the
wife of the pastor of the church, was a leader
teaching and directing the servants of Christ to
participate in the Greek pagan sex rites. She called
herself a prophetess, representing another Christ to
the Church. Some feel that Lydia returned to
Thyatira after hearing the Gospel and started a
church. This church was accustomed to female
leadership, which made them vulnerable to this form
of teaching.
Eat things. She tried to have the servants of Christ
compromise their walk by eating the meat sacrificed
in the Greek temples to the various gods and
goddesses. Some see this also as a picture of the
teaching with Catholicism with the Eucharist, the
doctrine that Christ is sacrificed every Sunday when
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the bread is broken. Christ died once for our sins; He
sits at the Father’s side interceding for his saints.
Great tribulation. The one aspect of Thyatira is
two groups addressed in this Church. There is group
which does not hold to these doctrines (Verse 24).
They are the overcomers, but Christ promises the
ones who persist in these false doctrines, they will
enter great tribulation. Prophetically Christ is indicating
this church will be dealt with in the Tribulation period,
except for the ones who do not hold to this doctrine.
I will kill. The offspring of this adulterous women
and her adulterous teaching will suffer for their
pagan teachings.
I will give. Jesus Christ examines the intentions of
each of us and pays us accordingly. Christ searches
the real meaning on why we do what we do.
A.D. 607
Boniface III made first Pope
A.D. 709
Kissing the Pope’s foot
A.D. 786
Worshiping the images and relics
A.D. 850
Use of “Holy water” begun
A.D. 995
Canonization of dead saints
A.D. 998
Fasting on Fridays and during Lent
A.D. 1079
Celibacy of the priesthood
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A.D. 1090
Prayer beads
A.D. 1184
The inquisition
A.D. 1190
Sale of indulgences
A.D. 1215
Transubstantiation
A.D. 1220
Adoration of the wafer (Host)
A.D. 1229
Bible forbidden to laypeople
A.D. 1414
Cup forbidden to laypeople at
Communion
A.D. 1439
Doctrine of purgatory decreed
A.D. 1508
The Ave Maria approved
A.D. 1534
Jesuit order founded
A.D. 1545
Tradition granted equal authority
with Bible
A.D. 1546
Apocryphal books put into Bible
A.D. 1854
Immaculate conception of Mary
A.D. 1864
Syllabus of Errors proclaimed
A.D. 1870
Infallibility of the Pope declared
A.D. 1930
Public schools condemned
A.D. 1950
Assumption of the Virgin Mary
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A.D. 1965
Mary proclaimed mother of the
church.
Examine Further
The Hail Mary, also commonly called the Ave
Maria (Latin)
or Angelic
Salutation,
is
a
traditional Catholic
prayer asking
for
the intercession of
the Blessed
Virgin
Mary,
the mother of Jesus. In Roman Catholicism, the
prayer
forms
the
basis
of
the Rosary and
the Angelus prayers.
In
the Eastern
Orthodox and Eastern
Catholic
Churches, a similar prayer is used in formal liturgies,
both in Greek and in translations. It is also used by
many other groups within the Catholic tradition of
Christianity
including Anglicans, Independent
Catholics,
and Old
Catholics.
Some Protestant denominations, such as Lutherans,
also make use of a form of the prayer.
Syllabus of Errors
The Syllabus of Errors was a detailed proclamation
by Pope Pius IX in 1864 specifying liberal errors in
political thought that were rejected by the Church.
The pope denounced 80 specific propositions that
promoted pantheism, naturalism, nationalism,
indifferentism, socialism, communism, freemasonry,
and other 19th-century views. He claimed for the
Catholic Church total control over science and
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culture. The Liberals viewed this as a declaration of
war by the Church on modern civilization.
The Assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven,
often shortened to the Assumption, and also known
as the Falling Asleep of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, according to the beliefs of the Catholic
Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy,
and parts of Anglicanism, was the bodily taking
up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her
earthly life.
In the churches that observe it, the Assumption is a
major feast day, commonly celebrated on August 15.
In many countries the feast is also marked as a Holy
Day of Obligation in the Roman Catholic Church
and as a Festival in the Anglican Communion.
24But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira,
as many as have not this doctrine, and which have
not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will
put upon you none other burden.
Do not have this doctrine. A distinction is made
between these two groups in this Thyatira. Those
who have embraced these false doctrines and those
who reject them. Thyatira is a picture of Catholic
Church, today many Catholics who read their Bible
claim to be “Born Again” not according to Protestant
teachings but the teachings of Jesus Christ. Some of
the greatest saints such as John Wycliffe and Tyndale
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were Catholic priests who died for their desire to
have God’s word reach the common people.
Depths of Satan. Today, The Da Vinci Code is
making inroads into many churches as people read
the book, their whole perception of Christ is
changing. This book claims to reveal hidden secrets
kept by a patriarchal society who want to suppress
the “Sacred Feminine” aspect of God.
The book is just reworking the doctrines of the
Gnostic church, which talked about secret doctrines
and rites with temple prostitutes. The word used to
describe
this
knowledge
is ginwvskw Ginosko where the Gnostic is derived.
26And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works
unto the end, to him will I give power over the
nations:
27And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the
vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers:
even as I received of my Father.
28And I will give him the morning star.
29He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
saith unto the churches.
Power over the nations. To those who overcome,
Christ promises a place of ruler in the Millennium.
Rev. 20:1-7 1 And I saw an angel come down from
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heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a
great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent,
which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a
thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him
up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive
the nations no more, till the thousand years should
be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little
season.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and
judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls
of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus,
and for the word of God, and which had not
worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither
had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in
their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ
a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the
thousand years were finished. This is the first
resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection: on such the second death hath no
power, but they shall be priests of God and of
Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
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7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan
shall be loosed out of his prison,
(KJV)
Conclusion
The Dark Ages
At this point the church has gone from a new entity
that was passionate for Jesus to a widely persecuted
group to a church that looked exactly like the world,
and now, after 200 years of the world infiltrating the
church, we come to a period where the church is
compromising their beliefs. This is the church that
was allowing Jezebel to teach immorality and lead
people away from God.
This was the time of indulgences; this was the time
of the crusades. During this time, the church didn’t
have easy access to the Bible, and most people had
never even seen one, much less been able to read it
in their own language. Access to the word of God
was limited to the priests only, and not only did the
people not have access to the Bible but the worship
services were not even in a language that they could
understand.
This period lasted from about 500 A.D. to the early
1300’s and beyond. The sad thing about this period
is that we are still feeling the effects of that bloody
and horrible time even today through the continued
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doctrines and practices of the Roman Catholic
Church.
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