April 14: DEJA VU
“Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.” Revelation 2:20
Jezebel may have been her real name, but it is also highly symbolic. This name hearkens back to the pagan queen, the wife of Ahab, king of Israel. Bending to her influence, Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him (1 Kings 16:33). The infamous Jezabel was the daughter of a high priest of Baal, a god of solar cults. Apostasy rode into Israel upon their marriage. Ahab’s weak character and Jezebel’s domineering ways added up to a perfect instrument for accomplishing Satan’s agenda among the people of God. But how could this happen? At first, paganism did not appear as a conspicuous intruder. It slithered in, serpent-like, through beguiling diversion—just as Jezebel’s beauty swept away any discernment Ahab may have had. God’s people were betrothed to Him, yet instead of loving Him they abandoned Him and went after paganism on a grand scale. This was no mere trifling flirtation. The Israelites gorged themselves on false religion. They ‘swallowed’ it whole.
Jesus is warning the church at Thyatira that it is happening all over again. Thyatira has a divided congregation, but as a church body, they allow it to go on. Remember that Jesus had commended the church at Ephesus for their discernment (2:2,6) and also the church at Pergamos (2:13).
On the surface, this problem may not look so bad. It even has an element of piety. She calls herself a prophetess. And while it is true that the early church had respected women who received the gift of prophecy (see Luke 2:36-38, Acts 21:8-9), this woman was a wolf in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15) and they knew it—yet did not take a stand against it.
The basic old idea is the same as the Nicolaitans and the error of Balaam: to teach and seduce My servants to go against God’s word. It always begins with compromise. And the disastrous end is predictable: to reject God’s instruction is to reject the light of life and the spiritual protection that comes with it. Bad choices bring curses with them (see Deuteronomy 28:14-16).
Because the ‘dark side’ of the church at Thyatira went unchecked, this church in the smallest city in the province of Asia mushroomed into the frightfully powerful church of Dark Ages. Christianity and paganism formed an illicit union. Mystical pagan rituals were incorporated into church services. Statues of gods and goddesses were brought in and given names of departed Christian saints. To this day they are venerated as objects of worship and people are still being taught to pray to them (an old pagan tradition of worship of the dead, claiming that they are alive and can help the living).
In the Old Testament, after the children of Israel had become comfortable with pagan rituals, the wicked queen Jezabel massacred the prophets of the LORD (1 Kings 18:4), thinking to eradicate all worship of the God of Israel. In like manner, the papacy slaughtered millions (estimates range from 50 to 100 million Christians and Jews murdered who refused to submit to the pope).
“…that horn…which spoke pompous words…I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them…” Daniel 7:20,21