18 ““Write this to the angel of the church in Thyatira:
“Here is a message from the Son of God, the one who has eyes that blaze like fire and feet like shining brass.
19 “I know what you do. I know about your love, your faith, your service, and your patience. I know that you are doing more now than you did at first. 20 But I have this against you: You let that woman Jezebel do what she wants. She says that she is a prophet, but she is leading my people away with her teaching. Jezebel leads my people to commit sexual sins and to eat food that is offered to idols. 21 I have given her time to change her heart and turn away from her sin, but she does not want to change.
22 “So I will throw her on a bed of suffering. And all those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly. I will do this now if they don’t turn away from the things she does. 23 I will also kill her followers. Then all the churches will see that I am the one who knows what people feel and think. And I will repay each of you for what you have done.”
This post is a warning to the body of Christ. Many have been suffering devastation and affliction, sickness and disease, and many even lost their lives before they could fulfill their calling and purpose from God. One main reason as stated in the passage above is their tolerance of the spirit of Jezebel in their life. Despite their love for the Lord and desire to worship and serve Him only (Matthew 4:10), just as the people of the church of Thyatira, who had a strong foundation of faith and love, service, and even patience, the Son of God Himself had something against them: their tolerance to the spirit of Jezebel, its seducing practices, and those who were influenced by it, who were allowed to entice others to commit acts of natural and spiritual idolatry and immorality.
According to Wikipedia, the ancient city of Thyatira was a prosperous city. It was known as the center for the dyeing purple cloth as a trade among others. Many in the city had joined guilds or associations of dyers and distributors of textiles and garments like a believer named Lydia in Acts 16:14. This city was also known to have more guilds than any other contemporary city in the Roman province of Asia, demonstrating this way its affluence and influence in commerce.1
Yet, it was extremely difficult to trade in Thyatira if a merchant did not belong to a guild. It was also hard for a Christian merchant to not compromise his or her beliefs due to the pressure to participate in their pagan and idolatrous festivities whenever each guild celebrated its patron with practices that included sexual immorality. It was also revealed that the woman with a strong influence of the Jezebel spirit in the church of Thyatira was not a believer, but because of some powers she displayed probably through, divination, for she was not a true prophetess, she only had influence among certain members of the church which she used to charm them to be part of the guilds and of their pagan and immoral practices, saying that it would cause no harm to their Christian walk to be part of such associations, practices, and lifestyles.2
But the truth is that in our day, this spirit is still pulling many Christians away from their devotion and loyalty to Christ, in order to be part of its rituals and traditional ways of the world. Many are living lifestyles that show their giving into its influence, which puts them among them who are warned will end up in a bed of affliction and even death for allowing such things.
+For example, we cannot go to church on Sunday and as soon as we go home watch questionable TV programs that have a lot of overt and covert rudeness, violence, sexuality, and immorality. Some even engage in pornography and seeking sites to find friendships and “love.” Yet, some others still go to clubs and keep friendships that lure them away from God, prayer, reading the Bible, and in general, having a relationship with God which is very necessary in order to fulfill our purpose because He knows our purpose and how we should walk in it.
+For example, we cannot go to church on Sunday and as soon as we go home watch questionable TV programs that have a lot of overt and covert rudeness, violence, sexuality, and immorality. Some even engage in pornography and seeking sites to find friendships and “love.” Yet, some others still go to clubs and keep friendships that lure them away from God, prayer, reading the Bible, and in general, having a relationship with God which is very necessary in order to fulfill our purpose because He knows our purpose and how we should walk in it.
Others, go to church and sometimes read the Bible, but they also read other kinds of literature that kill the seeds planted by the word of God. They also spend more time on social media, than in the Word, listen to music with explicit rude and sexual language, and even dance to it at social events or at home. Yet, some think that having sex outside of the marriage covenant is normal. Others think that looking fashionable and trendy is more important than paying their bills on time or staying away from making money in illicit ways.
But there are others that involve themselves in seeking supernatural visitations that are nothing more than demonic activity released through the sorcery and witchcraft they practice and entice others to do the same with them like playing with the ouija board, visiting psychics to tell their fortune or their future when God is who holds their world in His hands. They also read tarot cards and horoscopes and the like, instead of seeking God`s presence and waiting for Him to choose to visit them with the revelations and visions that will help them understand His plan for their lives.
There are some others who steal from the government, from the companies they work for, they steal hours they get paid for but do not perform their assigned duties, and call in sick to go shopping or just take a day off by telling lies to their boss. These are just some examples of ways in which people keep themselves from the will of God for them and stray away more and more from their life`s calling and purpose.
God is a God of relationship and wants to partner with us to develop our callings in order to reach our destiny planned and purposed by Heaven. He is also a God of honor and because of that, it is important how we treat our relationship with Him and with those around us. One way He will shake the wrong foundations in people`s lives when they have not learned to live a life that honors Him and others is by removing the things He gave them, but they turned them into idols. In other words, we are called and required to fulfill God`s command to love Him with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves (Luke 10:27). This includes our love for Him, our Creator and not put ourselves or other created things ahead of Him who created us.
There are some others who steal from the government, from the companies they work for, they steal hours they get paid for but do not perform their assigned duties, and call in sick to go shopping or just take a day off by telling lies to their boss. These are just some examples of ways in which people keep themselves from the will of God for them and stray away more and more from their life`s calling and purpose.
God is a God of relationship and wants to partner with us to develop our callings in order to reach our destiny planned and purposed by Heaven. He is also a God of honor and because of that, it is important how we treat our relationship with Him and with those around us. One way He will shake the wrong foundations in people`s lives when they have not learned to live a life that honors Him and others is by removing the things He gave them, but they turned them into idols. In other words, we are called and required to fulfill God`s command to love Him with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves (Luke 10:27). This includes our love for Him, our Creator and not put ourselves or other created things ahead of Him who created us.
That is one reason why Malachi 3:5 says, “5 Then I will bring you to justice. I will be an expert witness and testify about the evil things people do. I will speak out against those who do evil magic or commit adultery. I will speak out against those who make false promises and cheat their workers and don’t pay them the money they promised. I will testify against those who don’t help strangers, or widows and orphans. And I will testify against those who don’t respect me.” This is what the Lord All-Powerful said.” ERV
It has been mentioned before in other posts of this blog page how Jezebel entered the garden. It was through deception and by questioning what God has spoken. When God has given a word of promise or of instruction, the spirit of Jezebel will come to question it and say, “Did God really say that?” (Genesis 3:1). There is a fine line between the truth of God and the deception of this spirit when it comes with its charming and those that are not aware of the enemy`s devices fall prey to him because those devices are always designed to make a believer be disloyal to God and abandon His command to seek first the Kingdom of God (His ways and principles to live on this earth) and all other things we are believing to be added onto us.
We are also called to love what God loves and hate what He hates. The passage in Malachi gives us a clear explanation of the things God hates that we should also stay away from. And the initial passage in Revelation 2 explains to us in verses 22- 23 the devastating consequences of not repenting from tolerating the influence of this spirit as a lifestyle. In other words, this is what happens when God is calling us to turn away from those practices and He finds no repentance or desire to do it. It says again,
“21 I have given her time to change her heart and turn away from her sin, but she does not want to change.
22 “So I will throw her on a bed of suffering. And all those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly. I will do this now if they don’t turn away from the things she does. 23 I will also kill her followers. Then all the churches will see that I am the one who knows what people feel and think. And I will repay each of you for what you have done.” ERV
Finally, I want to leave you all with the chance to ask and contemplate if the devastation, sickness, or other circumstances that are less than God`s will for you, could have their origin in your tolerating the influence of the spirit of Jezebel as a lifestyle. If your answer is yes, then I want to invite you to pray according to 2 Chronicles 7:14- 18 so that you can partake of the blessings of obeying His Commands, honoring Him and others around you, and worshiping Him as a lifestyle,
“14 and if my people who are called by my name become humble and pray, and look for me, and turn away from their evil ways, then I will hear them from heaven. I will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now, my eyes are open, and my ears will pay attention to the prayers prayed in this place. 16 I have chosen this Temple, and I have made it a holy place. So I will be honored there forever. I will watch over it and think of it always. 17 You must serve me with a pure and honest heart, just as your father David did. You must obey my laws and do everything that I commanded you. If you obey all I have commanded, and if you obey my laws and rules, 18 then I will make you a strong king and your kingdom will be great. That is the agreement I made with David your father when I told him that Israel would always be ruled by one of his descendants. ERV
To Him Alone be all the glory. ▪
Endnotes:
1. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyatira
2. Bible.org. https://bible.org/seriespage/6-message-thyatira-rev-218-29
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