Revelation – Tolerating Tolerance – 7

Revelation 2:18-29 – 18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 “‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. 25 Only hold fast what you have until I come. 26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

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* A little bad spoils a whole lot of good analogy.

We’re going to see the danger of letting the bad into our lives and into the church. Each letter deals with particular issues within specific churches, and they all apply to us as well.

“Ephesus had abandoned their first love. Smyrna was not reproved, but they were facing tribulation. Pergamum had people holding the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Thyatira, the subject under consideration now, is tolerating Jezebel. We will see that Sardis seemed alive but was dead. Philadelphia had an open door. Laodicea was lukewarm.”[1]

Each letter, just like the whole book of Revelation, starts with a view of who Jesus is.

Jesus is the Davidic King. (18)

Several commentators say this introduction about Jesus alludes to him as the pure king in the line of king David. It seems like it is purposefully reminiscent of the covenant God made with David in 2 Samuel 7. Mounce says, “Since Psalm 2:9 is quoted later in the letter (v. 27), it may be that Psalm 2:7 (“the Lord…said to me, ‘You are my Son’”) suggested its use here.”[2]

The description of his blazing eyes here suggests the penetrating power of Christ’s ability to see through the seductive arguments of “Jezebel” and those who were being led astray by her teaching. Jesus knows what the truth is. Jesus knows our thoughts and our actions. He sees through every lie Satan and the culture seeks to ensnare you with. He is the definer of truth.

Jesus is announcing himself to this church as the Davidic King. We will see later why this is important. First, we need to see what this church did to require harsh words from Jesus.

The church failed to exclude sin. (19-25)

“Their sin – toleration – is the very thing commended in our culture as the greatest virtue.”[3]

Tolerating sin brings about a very slippery slope. John Wesley is quoted as famously saying, “What one generation tolerates, the next generation will embrace.”

Why is this a bad thing? There are some things we need to tolerate and embrace, right? Yes, but content and truth matters.

If we lived in a world where smiling is frowned upon (pun intended), and I look around and realize the world needs some smiles, I’m going to slip a few smiles at people and tolerate it when it is done at me, in hopes that it is accepted down the road. On th