The letter that Jesus instructed John to write to the church in Thyatira is the longest of his letters to the churches. He complements those Christians by saying he knows the works they do, their charity, their service, their faith, their patience, and again he says their works. Probably the reason he repeats himself when he mentioned works, he is putting it in context that what they had been doing is more than when they first started doing.
That means that we have before us some discussion of a church that appears to be very successful. This can be true of many modern-day Christian churches. By all outward appearances, Thyatira and churches of today have much of which to brag, and which are attractive to many people in the community.
However, Jesus gets straight to the point. Regardless of how appealing the church may seem, there is a great flaw hiding openly in the congregation. Jesus accused them of tolerating a woman he calls Jezebel that had great influence among the people. The problem is that her influence is evil. We are tempted to ignore such complaints because this Jezebel is so talented and seems so capable.
Digging deeper into the situation, this Jezebel in modern times can be male or female because there are those in the congregation who believe and propagate their own ideas deceiving others. The spirit of Jezebel is one of compromise as long as the compromises in her favor. She was the wife of King Ahab in Israel. Part of the story is recorded in 1 Kings 16-22. Today we would say that Ahab was a henpecked husband. She dominated him while having undue over the people.
In comparing the Old Testament passage to the passage in Revelation we see this woman was a killer even though she gave herself the title of being a prophetess. She had 850 men who were her followers as prophets. Her ultimate goal was to guide the worship of the people into a new direction. She wanted to intermingle the worship of false gods with the worship of Jehovah. She is accused of being a fornicator, an idolater, and a friend of evil.
A study in Revelation compared to First Kings is vital to us. The spirit of Jezebel is alive and well in many churches. The presence of a Jezebel in the church does great harm to the health of the church. Such a person will not follow leadership but is critical of the leader. This person seems to have new insight into Scripture which, in fact, is heresy. The Jezebel in today’s church is highly critical of anything or anyone that does not conform to his or her way of thinking. This evil presence seeks to be a dominant influence. I was a pastor of a church and found myself under great criticism by a man who was a deacon but rejected my ministerial leadership. He had so much dominance that the other deacons were afraid to confront him. Under no circumstances can the congregation tolerate such a person. The people need to be wiser in detecting the falsities and the attitude of rebellion from such a person. A simple solution to deal with the spirit of Jezebel is to turn your back. Do not follow such a person’s influence. Look closely at that person’s teachings to be sure there is no compromise with the world. Any man or woman with this attitude will move on if the people refuse to accept their demands. There is no new direction. Christianity is exclusive to what the Bible says disallowing any individual’s new input or interpretation. The very health and success of the church depends on the assurance that no spirit of Jezebel is allowed. No self-appointed prophet can be permitted to teach and seduce the servants of the Lord.
God’s grace and mercy is immense. He will give space for such a person to repent. He recognizes those who refuse to follow a Jezebel and gives them praise. The ultimate result of a Jezebel is to face the judgment of God. Before that happens, God’s people must be strong and faithful. Follow the instructions of the apostle Paul when he said, “be not conformed to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
Christian Writer 