The church of Thyatira should pay particular attention to His eyes that "see" what they're doing and His heavy metal feet that could do some serious "stomping" when He returns. Brass feet will be great for "treading the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God" (Rev 19:15). Remember, He returns as King of kings and Lord of lords to rule with a rod of iron (and brass feet).
The "ands" in this verse constitute a figure of speech called aPolysyndenton, just like the "Ands" in the first chapter of the Book of Genesis (And the evening and the morning... etc.) See appendix 6 in the Companion Bible. The "ands" are used for emphasis and so you could read verse 19 like this to understand the emphasis of the figure polysyndenton:[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.
It would appear that this group loves the Lord and is doing all the right things, as far as "religion" goes.I know your works,
And I Know your charity,
And I Know your service,
And I Know your faith,
And I Know your patience,
And I Know your works.
What's wrong is that they are obviously listening to someone who is "teaching" them, who calls herself a prophetess (which means teacher), but all the while she is leading them astray! She's seducing them to commit fornication and if they don't wise up, they're screwed alright! They're going to get stomped with brass feet.[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.
Now let's back up and analyze what's being said. First, this is not, and cannot be, the Jezebel of 1 Kings chapter 16, though she certainly was a type. Her name, Jezebel, means chaste, and so she gives the appearance of purity and holiness and goodness and truth (read as a Polysyndenton now that you know what one is), but we just learned that she is anything but those things. The problem is her church members are too deceived, too seduced and in love with her, to know that what she teaches is an abomination to our Father! (She is not an actual woman, but a "teaching" of the church).
What does it mean to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols? Do you mean she teaches people to have sex outside of marriage and eat food sacrificed to idols? No,this is church doctrine that is being talked about.
She teaches people to become idolaters by eating "spiritual food",i.e. doctrine and traditions, that are not Biblical, and so not from God. It comes from other gods, meaning the false god,Satan himself, but it looks and "tastes" so good!
An example would be the "rapture theory" taught in most Christian churches today. Margaret McDonald, a prophetess herself, originated this doctrine in the year 1830 in Glasgow Scotland. She herself wrote that at first it was evil and there was darkness about it. That should tell you right there where it came from, the dark one himself. It is not supported in anyway, shape, or form in the Bible, yet it "tastes" and "feels" very good to those who wish to "eat" of it and continue being "seduced".
But let's check out the type, the Jezebel in I Kings 16-19. She had good old Ahab make groves that really angered our Father, more so than all the kings of Israel that were before him. That's pretty serious stuff!
Do you have any idea what a grove is? The truth of the matter is "covered up" in the English, hidden just beneath the surface, if you will. If you're like most of the people in the church of Thyatira you're probably thinking Ahab planted a bunch of trees, like an apple grove, or maybe cleared away the under brush to make a nice oak grove.1 Kings 16:33
And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.
Well guess what? We just read in verse 17 of Rev. 2 that there is hidden manna, so henceforth we better all start looking a little deeper to uncover the truth. Get a Strong's Concordance and look up "grove". The word is "asherah", from the root "ashar", to bestraight, erect or upright!
Check out all the passages where this word is used and you will "see" without question it is not a grove like the folks of Thyatira think. For example, in 2 Kings 17:10 "they set them up under every tree" and in 2 Kings 23:6 "he brought out the grove from the house of the LORD, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron...".
The asherah was a "thing", it was the Phallus image of Isa. 57:8 and the "image of the male" in Ezek. 16:17.You guessed it, it was the image of the male upright organ of procreation. OK, it was a big carved penis, there I said it.
But you know what? It was a religious "thing". It was used in the spring sexual orgies honoring Ashteroth, the queen of heaven, from whom we get our word "Easter".
Uh, oh!
The church of Thyatira wouldn't bring symbols of fertility into the house of God, would they?
Eggs, bunny rabbits?
"Oh, but those", we are told, "are just symbols of new life, after all it's spring time. And besides, it's so cute for the kids." (Doesn't Jezebel speak so sweetly?) Sure, and grove means a clump of trees. How's it feel to be seduced by her? Do you know the origin of Easter eggs and Easter bunnies? What do they have to do with the Passover anyway?
It may offend some, but if that be the case, go ahead and try to find Easter in the New Testament. It ain't there! Surprised? (Note: Please don't send an e-mail saying you found it in Acts 12:4. The word is pascha,
translated all 28 other times as Passover.)
Our Father uses "adultery" to represent the far worse sin of "idolatry" throughout the Bible. He's giving her time, even now, to repent.[21] And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
Hey, she's going to "bed" and those that she "seduces"are going with her. And they will have great tribulation. Do you know what that means? It means they will be "taken"by the false messiah, who is Satan, when he comes at the 6th trump claiming he is God. He'll be in the sack with them! In other words, they will worship the devil as Jesus Christ.[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.
Worshipping Satan, even if in ignorance, is not a very good thing to do if you claim to be a Christian, is it? It is called the great falling away, the great apostasy.
Christ isn't going to physically kill children. Come on! This simply means that the children of Jezebel, her followers, i.e. the deceived members of the church of Thyatira, are going to be "Spiritually Dead"!!![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.
Stay away from Satan's fake doctrines. Learn his mysterious and conniving ways of slipping paganism into the churches of Christianity. Get out of Satan's bed![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.
[25] But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.