Revelation 2 600-1517 A.D.
To the Church in Thyatira
2:18 “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write the following: “ This is the solemn pronouncement of the Son of God, the one who has eyes like a fiery flame and whose feet are like polished bronze:
The Greek word for "thyatira" is Θυάτειρα (thuateira), meaning a "perpetual sacrifice." This church represents the Catholic Church of the Dark Ages, which ran from 600-1517 A.D. The perpetual mass of the Catholic Church is called transubstantiation, meaning that the bread and wine of the Eucharist actually become the real body and real blood of Jesus. Members of the laity were not given the wine, because the Catholic leaders did not want them to spill the actual blood of Christ. Therefore, only the priests would drink the wine. The laity would only partake of the wafer.
Throughout this period of time, Catholics used the ritual of transubstantiation to persecute Jews. They would accuse Jews of breaking into the Catholic Church, stealing the wafers, and then nailing the wafer to a tree. Many Jews were falsely accused and put to death over this ritual. These kinds of accusations would incite Gentile mobs against entire Jewish villages and communities.
Jesus is identified as having "eyes of fiery flame and feet of polished bronze." The eyes of fiery flame are the eyes of a supernatural judge who can see into one's mind and motives. The legs of polished bronze were used as judgment to squash the enemy like grapes in a wine press.
2:19 ‘I know your deeds: your love, faith, service, and steadfast endurance. In fact, your more recent deeds are greater than your earlier ones.
The Church of Thyatira received one commendation. They were producing more good deeds than they were earlier in their church life.
2:20 But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and by her teaching deceives my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
Queen Jezebel was a Phoenician queen who brought the worship of Baal into Israel, causing them to become captive to the Assyrians. Jezebel is the symbolic name of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church calls herself a prophetess, because the Pope claims to be the Vicar of Christ on earth. He claims to take the place of Christ until Christ returns. The Catholic Church was deceiving their members by seducing them into committing sexual immorality. The sexual immorality is the fornication that the Church participates in with pagan rituals. The food sacrificed to idols is the corrupted transubstantiation that the Catholic Church practices. The Catholic Church says "hocus pocus" on Sunday and lifeless bread and wine are supposed to magically turn into the actual flesh and blood of Christ. They are killing and crucifying Christ repeatedly. This perpetual sacrifice is nothing but a part of the ritual of the mystery Babylon religious system. Christ was crucified "once and for all" for all sinners.
Idolatry in the Northern Kingdom began with Jeroboam I, the first king. The sin of Jeroboam was a corruption of the true religion. Jeroboam set up a golden calf in Dan and Bethel, but these golden calves represented the God that brought them out of the land of Egypt. This was idolatry, but it was only a corruption of true Jehovah worship. Furthermore, Jeroboam could cite a precedent in the worship of the golden calf built by Aaron. His words concerning the golden calf in I Kings 12:28 are a quotation of Aaron’s words in Exodus 32:4.
But with Jezebel, it was not merely a corruption of the true religion; rather a whole new god and system of worship were introduced into Israel. Through Jezebel, Baal worship came into the land of Israel.The result was more idolatry than ever before. At least in the corruption of Jehovah worship, morality was still present, but in the worship of Baal, there was total immorality.
The Catholic Church inserted ten pagan cultic practices into the church:
1. Baptism by water for salvation replaced the Biblical view of faith alone in Christ alone for salvation.
2. Justification by faith alone in Christ alone was replaced by justification by reducing time in Purgatory.
3. The Catholic Church introduced the worship of saints into the church.
4. Priests were to remain celibate and not enter into marriage.
5. Individual confession of sins to a priest replaced confession directly to Christ Himself.
6. Purgatory was invented as an intermediate state between heaven and hell
7. Transubstantiation was created where the bread turns into the actual flesh and the wine turns into the actual blood of Jesus.
8. Indulgences were created where one could purchase and indulgence in order to reduce time in purgatory.
9. Penance was created where one would inflict damage upon his body to absolve sins.
10. Mary was made a co-redeemer with Christ, meaning that she is a fourth member of the godhead.
2:21 I have given her time to repent, but she is not willing to repent of her sexual immorality.
God gave the Catholic Church time to change her attitude, but she refused to repent of her sexual immorality. Her sexual immorality was the intermarriage of Christianity and paganism.
22 Look! I am throwing her onto a bed of violent illness, and those who commit adultery with her into terrible suffering, unless they repent of her deeds.
God The Catholic Church fell into adultery and became immorally sick. Those who adhere to her system or committing spiritual adultery. They will suffer with her. there only chance to avoid this immoral sickness is to repent, or change their deeds.
2:23 Furthermore, I will strike her followers with a deadly disease, and then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts. I will repay each one of you what your deeds deserve.
Those who continue to engage in this fornication of Christianity and paganism will catch a deadly spiritual venereal disease which will destroy their souls.
2:24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, all who do not hold to this teaching (who have not learned the so-called “deep secrets of Satan”), to you I say: I do not put any additional burden on you.
Those in Thyatira who resist this type of teaching of Satan will not have any additional burdens placed upon them.
2:25 However, hold on to what you have until I come.
The believers are commanded to hold on to the truth, which is Bible doctrine.
2:26 And to the one who conquers and who continues in my deeds until the end, I will give him authority over the nations
Those who resist the teaching of Jezebel will be saved from the Great Tribulation. During the Millennial Kingdom, they will co-reign with the Lord Jesus Christ.
2:27 he will rule them with an iron rod and like clay jars he will break them to pieces,
Jesus will rule with a rod of iron over all of the nations. An iron rod can easily destroy clay pots. The word rule is ποιμαίνω (poimainō), meaning to shepherd.Therefore, this Greek verb indicates that the way Christ will be ruling over the people of the world will be by guiding and caring for them. That's what a shepherd does. He guides his sheep to safety and he cares for them in all of their needs.
2:28 just as I have received the right to rule from my Father – and I will give him the morning star.
The morning star is the first star that comes out in the morning to bring light to the world. Jesus Christ is the morning star.
2:29 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
Those who have "ears" are the believers inside or outside of the Catholic churches.