Thyatira means “Odor of Affliction”
2 Timothy 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
History of Thyatira: It is interesting to study the origins of Thyatira. The only other mention of this city outside of Revelation is found in Acts 16:12-15. We see that Lydia the seller of purple is also from Thyatira. We know that Lydia was a good woman and God used her to establish the church at Philippi. Could it be that Lydia had a part in the establishment of the church in Thyatira as well? It could be, but we will not know until the rapture.
The account of Thyatira leads us to obvious conclusions. There was a woman in the mold of Jezebel who was influencing the church for evil instead of good. This is and was a problem in the church at Thyatira and the church today. With Charismatic teachings on the rise and the lack of solid bible teaching being presented from the pulpits of churches we see increasingly the rise a female “authorities” in churches. Many churches today ignore the clear commands of scripture in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 and ordain women as Pastors and Deacons. This is not a slam on women. We clearly see strong women in the Bible! There is Deborah and Barak, Aquila and Pricilla, and Lydia among others. Strong women who submitted to God and their husband or pastor.
We know from Philippians 1:1 that the church that Lydia was instrumental in starting was not ran by her. It was run by “bishops and deacons”. What is my point? Something was very wrong in the city of Thyatira because the church was coming under the influence of a women God likened to Jezebel not Lydia or Pricilla! She was undoubtedly pretty, had forceful speech and a leader of both men and women. The problem was not on the outside but on the inside. To this day to be a woman called Jezebel is worse than being a man named Judas!
Remember, Jezebel is not the church, she is just controlling the church. As we explore this passage we will once again gain insights into church history and how Satan has and continues to erode the authority of the Son of God.
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