Topics

Monday, January 30, 2023

Revelation 2:20-21 “Yet I Have This Against You, You Are Permitting The Teaching Of Sexual Immorality, & Idolatry.”

Influences, Choices, Consequences, or Results  

 

Revelation 2:20-21 20 Yet I have this against you: You are permitting that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach my servants that sex sin is not a serious matter; she urges them to practice immorality and to eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to change her mind and attitude, but she refused.[1] 

 

4.         The Complaint: Allowing a Jezebel to Teach Sexual Immorality & Idolatry 

(Revelation 2:20–21).[1]

E.  The Message to Thyatira: The Church That Is Compromising & Permissive 

(Revelation 2:18–29)

1.   The recipients

a.   The messenger of the church

b.   The Thyatira churchDS1

2.   The speaker: Jesus

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;

3.   The commendation for deeds or works

a.   For love & faith

b. For service & perseverance

c.   For expanding ministries

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.

4.   The Complaint: Allowing a Jezebel to Teach

a.   They Tolerate a False Prophetess

b.   They Tolerate False Teaching, Sexual Immorality, & Idolatry

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.

5.   The warning: To the compromising & corrupt

a.   To Jezebel: She will be cast into a bed of suffering

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.

b.   To Jezebel’s followers: The same fate

c.   The purpose for the warning

1)   To honor Jesus

2)   To execute justice

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.

6.   The counsel: To the faithful

a.   There will be no other burdens or demands made upon the faithful

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.

b.   They must hold fast

25 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.

7.   The promise: To the overcomers

a.   They will be given authority & power over the nations

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.

b.   They will be given the Morning Star, Christ Himself

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.[2]


 

4. The Condemnation (Revelation 2:20–21)

Notwithstanding, I have a few things against thee (Revelation 2:20). In spite of their good record, they still had a very serious problem in the church. That problem had to do with a woman in their church who was a rascal [a deceiving prophetess for hire-a whore]. She is called “Jezebel” in our text; however, that name is probably not her actual name but is a symbolic name that spoke of her character being like that of the Old Testament Jezebel, Ahab’s wife, who, during the time of the prophet Elijah, was such a corrupter of Israel.

• The consenting for Jezebel. Thou sufferest that woman Jezebel (Revelation 2:20). The people tolerated evil in the church. That is done so often today. It is often done in the name of love. But you cannot tolerate evil. When evil becomes strong, it will not tolerate righteousness.

• The conceit of Jezebel. Calleth herself a prophetess (Revelation 2:20). Evil does not hesitate to boast and to exalt itself in position and character. Jezebel needed the prestige to do her dirty work, and being recognized as a prophetess would help. Evil likes to hide itself under the guise of nice names in order to be more effective in its wicked influence.

• The counsel of Jezebel. Thou sufferest that woman … to teach (Revelation 2:20). Jezebel was permitted to teach in the church. How often churches have appointed teachers that should never be allowed to be in the position of a teacher. An unholy character will produce an unholy creed and will corrupt people.

• The craftiness of Jezebel. Seduce (Revelation 2:20). Jezebel was crafty and deceived the people in her teaching and, by crafty methods, built up a following. Sin makes itself attractive to deceive and defile.

• The corrupting by Jezebel. Two areas are cited where she especially corrupted the people. First, she corrupted the people in the area of sex. Commit fornication (Revelation 2:20). Her moral standards were low. In her teaching, she cleverly justified immorality. That is going on today in many churches in the sanctioning of divorce, which produces adultery. Second, she corrupted the people in the area of separation. Eat things sacrificed unto idols (Revelation 2:20). Separation is unpalatable to the flesh. But unless one practices separation, there will be defilement. Eating meat sacrificed to idols will soon lead to idol worship and the foulness involved in that. The Israelites were defiled by the Moabites/Midianites through Balaam’s counsel, which opposed separation in this area, as we noted in the previous letter.

• The contempt by Jezebel. I gave her space to repent of her fornication, and she repented not (Revelation 2:21). God in grace gave Jezebel time to repent, but she refused. This showed Jezebel’s contempt for God. God’s action here showed (1) that no sinner is too great a sinner to repent, (2) that what Jezebel was doing was sin, and (3) that God is not unkind to punish people for their sins because He has given them ample time to repent. Those who go to hell have no one to blame but themselves.[4] 

4 (Revelation 2:20–21) Church—Backsliding—Teaching, False: there is the Complaint. The complaint immediately arouses our interest, for the name Jezebel is used. The church is charged with allowing a Jezebel to teach in the church. This means two things.

1. The church was tolerating a false prophetess to teach within the church. Note that she called herself a prophetess. She claimed that God had called and gifted her to teach and proclaim the truth. Therefore, the church appointed her as a teacher and gave her the right to teach within the church.

2. The church was tolerating false teaching, seduction, fornication, and idolatry. This is exactly what is said in the verse.

a.      First, Jezebel, the false teacher, was actually teaching in the church. Contrary to Christ and the Word of God, the church was allowing her to spread her false teaching.

b.      Second, Jezebel, the false teacher, was being allowed to seduce the Lord’s servants. She was arguing, presenting reasonable arguments, deceiving, misleading, and beguiling the servants and followers of the Lord. And the church was allowing it.

c.       Third, Jezebel, the false teacher, was seducing the believers to commit fornication, that is, all manner of immoral acts. How could such teaching be allowed within the church? By very insidious teaching, and note: the teaching has continued on down through the centuries, so much so that it now infiltrates many churches. She was teaching …

·         That believers could not separate themselves from the world, not entirely, not without becoming exclusive and snobbish.

·         That believers needed to be sensible in dealing with the world and its functions: they needed to be participating in some of the world’s functions in order to be friendly, keep their jobs, secure promotions, help their businesses, keep from being considered fanatical, and win the lost.

·         That believers could reach the world more easily by associating and fellowshipping with the world.

·         That if a person really worshipped God, he would be acceptable to God even if he did not know about Jesus Christ; that Jesus Christ is not the only way to God; that He is not the only Savior.

·         That believers should attend the social functions of neighbors and fellow workers and not be exclusive and separatists. 

Remember: Thyatira was renown for its trade guilds or unions. They were the center of much of the city’s social and business life. Therefore, if believers did not attend these, there was a possibility that it might affect their employment and relationships with their neighbors. The argument of the false teacher, Jezebel, had a strong appeal. It would take a strong-minded minister and teacher to proclaim a life of separation in such a situation.

What happened, of course, was that many of the socials became drunken and immoral parties. Believers who were present were attracted to the opposite sex and caught up in the immoral affairs just like everyone else. Believers were having immoral affairs, committing fornication.

Naturally, the believers did not want to be misfits, so they would be sociable and drink and dance and participate in the activities of their neighbors. The end result was bound to happen: believers were caught up in the drunken immorality of the world. They had normal human desires just like all human beings; therefore, they were attracted to the opposite sex, and some became involved in immoral affairs, committing adultery. Remember why: all because of the false teaching of Jezebel that believers must not separate themselves from the world, that they must be sensible and reasonable and not cut themselves out of the necessary business functions, socials, and pleasures of the world.

d.      Fourth, Jezebel, the false teacher, was seducing believers to commit idolatry. Some of the functions of the trade guilds and unions were usually held in the temple precincts of false gods. Sometimes the socials involved a simple thank-offering to the god, much like our offering of thanks at meals. The very first piece of meat was laid upon the altar to the god. Then the rest of the meat was served to the guests. Some of the believers were participating in these functions, actually participating in the functions that gave thanks to false gods. (See—1 Cor. 10:14–11:1; Ro. 14:1–23)

Thought 1. Remember what idolatry is. An idol is anything that a person puts first in his life, anything that consumes a person’s mind, heart, soul, and body. An idol is that to which a person gives himself. Therefore, an idol can be …

•     a job

•     money

•     position

•     possessions

•     pleasure

•     sports

•     business

•     family

•     self

•     sex

•     knowledge

•     power

Some church members were apparently putting their jobs and social acceptance before God. They were attending the social functions to be socially acceptable and to secure their jobs and to prosper in the world. But the inevitable happened: they were influenced by the world and caught up in the compromise of the world. All because of some Jezebel, some false teacher in the church.

Note that Jesus Christ had given this false teacher, this Jezebel, a period to repent. This means that she knew down deep within her heart that she was teaching contrary to God’s Word. But she refused to change; she refused to repent.

“If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (Jn. 15:19).

“And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation” (Ac. 2:40).

“Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking of law dishonourest thou God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written” (Ro. 2:21–24).

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Ro. 12:2).

“Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences” (2 Co. 5:11).

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Co. 6:14).

“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Co. 6:17–18).

“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Ep. 5:11).

“Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us” (2 Th. 3:6).

“No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier” (2 Ti. 2:4).

“By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season” (He. 11:24–25).

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 Jn. 2:15–16).[5] 

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.” (Rev. 2:20) NIV

Thyatira had the opposite problem that Ephesus had. Whereas the Ephesian church had been good at dealing with false teachers but had lacked love, the church in Thyatira had lots of love but had become tolerant of false teachers. And, as was happening in Pergamum, the church in Thyatira was tolerating false teaching that was attempting to compromise with the pagan society.

In this case, the problem was Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, a woman from among the believers who claimed to have the gift of prophecy. She may indeed have had unusual gifts, but she was using her influence to teach positions that were contrary to God’s Word, misleading the believers. Like Balaam, she was leading the people into sexual immorality and idolatry (Rev. 2:14–15), probably by teaching that immorality was not a serious matter for believers. Her name may have been Jezebel, or John may have used the name Jezebel to symbolize the kind of evil she was promoting. Jezebel, a pagan Philistine queen of Israel, was considered the most evil woman who ever lived. She had led Israel’s king, Ahab, into Baal worship and eventually had spread that idolatry throughout all of Israel (see 1 Kings 16:31–33; 1 Kings 19:1–2; 1 Kings 21:1–15; 2 Kings 9:7–102 Kings 30–37).

“Jezebel” was being tolerated in the Thyatiran church—perhaps her manner was so manipulative and persuasive that many did not notice, or perhaps no one realized the severe danger into which she was placing the entire church.

Jezebel was somehow misleading the believers with her teaching, which seems to have had much in common with the Nicolaitans and the followers of Balaam (Rev. 2:6, Rev. 2:14–15). The teaching was misleading about sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. She had been able to give convincing teaching about compromising with society. The two issues probably tied in with the guilds in Thyatira. Most of the people in the city were tradesmen, so they belonged to various guilds. These guilds (such as potters, tentmakers, etc.) each had an area in the city and a guild hall, which functioned as a center for the guild’s religious and civic activities. Usually, the guild would hold a banquet at the hall once a week, and these banquets would often be centered on idolatry—featuring meat sacrificed to idols and, most likely, some form of sexual license as part of the revelry. Jezebel was probably encouraging the believers, mostly tradespeople themselves, to continue to take part in their guilds’ activities as their civic duty. A refusal to join the guilds and take part in their activities would mean certain economic hardship. Jezebel suggested a way of compromise. Christ was pleased neither with this woman’s teaching nor with the fact that the church tolerated her.

I gave her time to repent, but she would not turn away from her immorality.” (Rev. 2:21) NLT

God, in his mercy, had given Jezebel time to repent of her wicked ways, but she would not turn away from her immorality. Consequently, God was going to punish her with sickness and suffering. The reference to those who commit adultery with her may refer to both being involved in sexual immorality and idolatry through her teaching. Those involved would also be punished unless they turned away from all their evil deeds. 

STAY AWAY

Jezebel was promoting sexual immorality (Rev.2:20). Sexual immorality is serious because sex outside marriage always hurts someone. It hurts God because it shows that we prefer to satisfy our desires our own way instead of according to God’s Word. It hurts others because it violates the commitment so necessary to a relationship. It hurts us because it often brings disease to our bodies and adversely affects our personalities. Sexual immorality can destroy families, churches, and communities because it destroys the integrity on which these relationships are built. God wants to protect us from hurting ourselves and others; thus, we are to have no part in sexual immorality, even if our culture accepts it. [6]

Influences, Choices, Consequences, or Results

A point to make concerning (Revelation 2:20-21) is our awareness of our associations and their influence of them upon our lives. For example, we often grow up with neighbors who become life-long friends and companions. We can say the same about our family members; they are our companions, friends, and closest confidants. We share our lives with certain people, and for good or bad, we become like them; it is said we take on the character of our nearest five friends. Thus, when looking at our associations, we can see their character in ourselves.

How is it that we can pick out flaws in others so easily? It is because we see in others what we despise within ourselves. We recognize our flaws quickly and are equally quick to condemn them because we intuitively know the harm they are doing to us. Our relationships reveal our hearts in that our desires are fulfilled in others through their behavior, which we secretly desire to fulfill ourselves. We can choose to associate with those of moral character that are contributing members of society. Alternatively, we can choose to associate with those that are a tax on society, detrimental to our communities and our well-being. We all know the results and consequences of different choices, but are we willing to make the hard choice of self-discipline, foregoing our pursuit of personal pleasure? Knowing that our dominant associations and relationships reveal our heart’s desires speaks to either being a tax on society or a contributing member. Are you a tax or a contribution? Are your associations a positive or negative influence in your life? Only you know the answer to your associations helping or hurting your well-being.

To discover the overall influences in your life and whether they are helping you on your journey to your ultimate destination, think of the following example. People generally desire to live a long life, achieving a retirement that will enable them to enjoy a life of leisure in their twilight years. However, many people from youth do not learn the lessons of delayed gratification, sacrificing one’s immediate desires for pleasure to the time of life when one can enjoy the fruits of one’s labor. Someone has said, “If you fail to plan, you have planned to fail.” The importance of this quote applies to all of our physical lives, but more importantly, it applies to our spiritual life and eternal destination. When one arrives at their twilight time of life, to the sunset of life hopefully well-lived, one hopes to have the ability to look back on all one has accomplished with the ability to say that he or she contributed to live positively and was not a tax on society. Also, that one has a life that others can look at or examine and say, “I valued that person, I truly enjoyed our relationship, and I will miss them.” Therefore, looking at your current relationships, which include your work and all that you consume concerning media, like what you view, read, and listen to, like that of music, influences us and is either helping us accomplish our end goal or not. Asking if the way you are living your life now is helping you on your journey to accomplish what you have pictured in your mind’s eye for your years in “retirement” will help in the process of your life choices. If how you live currently is not helping you but hurting you as a roadblock to your end goal, then you need to make a change. The importance of thinking in this manner cannot be overstated.

As we continue through the book of Revelation, please remember that God knows our future, and He continues to plead with us to choose His way and will. God knows what is best for us and has a plan for our lives that includes our eternal destination with Him. God does not desire for us to be separated from Himself but desires for all to come to repentance. God does not desire anyone to perish but that all should be saved through faith in what Christ Jesus did on the cross at Calvary, paying the penalty for our sins freely, allowing us to receive eternal life with Him if we accept His death on the cross by faith. Revelation 2:21 says, “I gave her time to change her mind and attitude, but she refused.” Why did the church of Thyatira receive such an indictment from our Lord? Because Jezebel, that false prophetess whose influence taught the people of the church to give in to the immediate self-gratifying pleasures of sin, blinded them to the fact that our choices have consequences and or results.

Do not live like there is no tomorrow, for we all know that yesterday’s choices influence today, and today’s choices will influence tomorrow.



Influences, Choices, Consequences, or Results  

Revelation 2:20-21Yet I Have This Against You, You Are Permitting The Teaching Of Sexual Immorality, & Idolatry.”

[1] Taylor, Kenneth Nathaniel. 1997. The Living Bible, Paraphrased. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.

[2] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.

DS Deeper Study

[3] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.

[4] Butler, John G. 2010. Analytical Bible Expositor: Revelation. Clinton, IA: LBC Publications.

[5] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.

NIV Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

NLT Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

[6] Barton, Bruce B. 2000. Revelation. Edited by Grant R. Osborne. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

No comments: