Does The Church of Thyatira Exist Today? Yes! Part I

Does the church of Thyatira exist today?     Yes!

One of the things that the Lord found offensive in this church is that she tolerates evil/false teachers and their teaching.  Thyatira had an unhealthy tolerance of those who professed to be teachers of God but were not.   Unconsecrated leaders of the church encouraged the adoration of idols, images and have eased defiled worship into the church.

Christ’s message to the Christians at Thyatira is a warning that they are in grave spiritual danger.   How can this be when they have grown in love and faith and service and endurance?   The danger is not coming from outside the church but rather from the inside of the church.   The church is tolerating the presence of a false prophetess and her disciples (Rev. 2:20).  The influence of this bad tree and its bad fruit is compromising their relationship with Christ.  

We all understand the threat imposed by wolves in sheep’s clothing.

A true prophet has authority because their words come from God either through direct revelation or from the Word of God.  A false prophet has mislaid authority which does not come from God.

Like an apple with a worm in it.   The church of Thyatira looked good on the outside, but inside it was rotten.  We often look at other churches and say, “God is really doing something in their midst, they are kind and loving and people are flocking to their church.”   But you cannot judge a book by its cover. 

Thyatira was a thriving church, filled with love and faithfulness, but they are rotten on the inside because they were following wrong doctrine.

What was wrong with this doctrine the prophetess was teaching?  In Rev. 2:20 it states that it led the people to practice fornication and eat food sacrificed to idols.   Both of these practices are clearly forbidden in the Word of God. 

Jesus called this false prophetess, Jezebel.   He paralleled her to Jezebel in the OT who was married to King Ahab.  When she became queen she first turned her husband’s heart to worship Baal and then the hearts of Israel was turned to idol worship.

Both Jezebels succeeded in corrupting God’s people by marrying the Church to the world and brought in paganism, which resulted in immorality and idolatry.

Jezebel replaced God’s word given through His anointed prophets with a counterfeit one given by her prophets of Baal and Asherah.   She sought to replace the worship of God completely with the worship of other gods and reintroduced idol worship to the people of Israel.

How can we tell whether a teaching or doctrine is from God or a Jezebel?

Jezebel doctrines teach that something evil can be good.  Examples would be compromising our relationship with God to live as part of the world.  Accepting homosexual marriage as okay or seeking material possession is a sign of God’s blessings.  Whatever goes against God’s Word or takes His place in our lives is a false doctrine.

The doctrine of Jezebel hates God’s true Word.   They would rather experience God rather than study His Word.   They are unmoved by God’s true prophets.

Ahab hated God’s faithful prophet, Micaiah.  In 1 Kings 22:8 he said, “I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad.”  Jezebel prophets prophesy only good things: peace and prosperity (Jer. 23:14-17). They never prophesy judgment.  To them it is unbalanced and wrong.

Another way to identity a wrong doctrine by Jezebel is that they deceive people into believing they are completely right.  They cannot see the deception at all.  It is like members of other cults or religions, where they sincerely believe they are right. 

Jezebel is corrupting God’s Word by teaching that Christians are to seek after signs, wonders and miracles.   They teach us to always be seeking something from God rather than just being satisfied to be in His presence….just because!

False teachers are always preaching about seeking God for healing, miracles, revival, signs and wonders.  They usually brag about their gifting and miss the fact they are no longer operating in their anointing.  The ‘signs, wonders, miracles and revival is all ‘MAN MADE’.   It is an emotion!!!!   People are so hungry for change and to see a sign from God that they fall into an emotional state and accept that to be God’s presence when it was just a feeling……emotions.    The ‘healings’ soon vanish and the pain or sickness returns.  Some may say it is due to the lack of faith on the part of the receiver, granted that can be true, but a true healing from God will sustain.   The healings that we find in the NT when Jesus healed other’s, was complete and sustained.   His Word is powerful and does not return void nor does it falls to the ground and die. ( Isa. 55:11)

Signs and wonders will not happen in a church where sin abides.  God cannot be in the presence of sin. Also God will not reward us with His presence so we can go on living in sin.   He does not reward us for bad behavior.  There are consequences for our sins.

The only way to tell what is truth is to read and know God’s Word.  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that each person of God may be equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:16)