启示录 2:29

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.

Again, reference is made to Revelation 2:7 where this is commented upon. Lenski pointed out that here and in the following three letters this admonition is placed at the end instead of at the beginning, thus dividing the seven into two groups of three and four; but, "We are unable to say just why they are so divided."[98]

"Moral compromise is the central danger in Christ's message to the church at Thyatira,"[99] some think; but there is more to it than that, although admittedly that is bad enough. There was an abdication of the eldership in that church; a vile woman had taken it over, and they had done nothing about it. Furthermore, there was the general toleration of the philosophy and teaching which formed the rationalistic support and encouragement of the immorality. Aside from Sardis, the church next written, Thyatira was the worst of the seven addressed in this series.

Regarding what we have interpreted as the promise of a miraculous judgment against the situation in Thyatira, if such an interpretation is correct, there must have been special and unique qualities of the infection there which required it. The divine economy regarding miracles requires this understanding. Therefore, we shall attempt to show that the situation there did indeed justify such a heavenly interference with it.

The proud and domineering Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal, king of Tyre, was the wife of Ahab, king of Israel; and she made Baalism the official religion of the northern kingdom, hastening its decline and fall by the idolatry which she introduced. "She was responsible in large measure for the collapse of the nation because of the evils which she introduced (1 Kings 16:29-33)."[100] If she who is called Jezebel in this letter to Thyatira had been permitted to continue without divine interference, the total collapse of Christianity under the encroachments of paganism might have followed; but there was divine intervention. Furthermore, it would appear that the church got the message; and that at no subsequent time is there any record of the eldership of a church of our Lord abandoning their authority to a woman.

The legitimate deduction from what is revealed in this message to Thyatira is that the eldership of a church should use the full authority of their position to countermand and eliminate every emergence of false teaching in their congregations. There could have been no excuse whatever for their dereliction in the instance of Jezebel's wanton disregard of the teaching of Christ and her openly advocating the cause of paganism in the congregation.

[98] R. C. H. Lenski, op. cit., p. 25.

[99] Billy Graham, op. cit., p. 21.

[100] Merrill C. Tenney, op. cit., p. 63.