Let us review the letter to Thyatira—
Revelation 2 – 18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; 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. 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. 21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. 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. 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. 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. 26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
The saved in Thyatira
Careful reading of the following verses discloses critical truths. Revelation 3 – 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. It stands that some have not indulged in the paganism rife in Thyatira, that they still know and hold biblical tenets, and that they can – and are expected – to endure till Messiah’s return. They require no further burden for if they be scripturally accurate, nothing more pertains, the Father’s word is complete and explicit and everyone who studies it understands, as did Paul, their duty to hold fast to it; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. (Philippians 2:16)
the saints of thyatira — rulers or judges?
The following verses have been recruited by the many perverted doctrines referenced above: Revelation 2 – 26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. In future installments to this series I will expound the many methods of prophetic interpretation and the reasons I hold one alone to be viable but now, for these verses force the issue, I assert to you that they speak not of a thousand-year political kingdom to be erected in Palestine by Zionists where Messiah and His elect are to rule unregenerate nations.
This rod of iron affords myriad interpretations but the shivering of nations like potter’s clay denotes not a benign millennial reign – but judgment! To judge the nations is to rule them. The tern translated above as rule is the Greek word ποιμανεῖ — rendered phonetically as peemany (with accent on y) – meaning to shepherd. I draw your attention to prophesied deeds of the Divine Shepherd: Matthew 25 – 31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: … 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
This judgment is certainly not the popular view but the scriptural – and I will amply make my case in later installments. Note the Saints first inherit their kingdom and then the lost are judged so that they too judge (or rule) the nations.
To understand the last promise given to Thyatira, 28 And I will give him the morning star, the reader needs read this article expounding the glorification of the saints and their relationship to the Redeemer.
In the next article we shall examine the letter to the church of Sardis.
My regards to you all.