Keep My Deeds To The End

1. The Son of God Speaks

V18 — And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

Thyatira was not a world-class city like the others, more like an average town. However, it was a prosperous center of manufacturing and trade. It was well known for its many trade guilds. There were guilds for bakers, leather workers, tanners, and textile workers. The most famous were its copper and silver blacksmiths, textile industry, and famous red dye. Lydia of Acts 16:14 was from Thyatira.

These guilds served as the social, economic, and political centers of the city with the whole of city life organized around them. They also had a powerful religious influence. As in the other cities, each guild had its own patron deity with many religious festivals. Their business meetings involved religious elements. So, to be successful economically and move up in society you had to belong to a guild, and belonging to a guild you had to participate in its idolatrous activities. Here also, the Christians were under cultural, social, and economic pressures to compromise their faith.

Jesus, the Son of God, speaks. This alludes to Daniel 3:25, the one “like a son of gods”, and the Son of Man from Daniel 7 and 10. Jesus as the Son of man is the true Son of God. It also alludes to Psalm 2 where God says, “You are my son” and so prepares us for the quote of Psalm 2 in v. 27. Jesus as the Son of God stands in direct contrast to Apollo, the son of Zeus, the patron god of Thyatira, who was called the son of god.

Eyes like blazing fire and feet like burnished bronze. What a powerful image speaking to the refining fires of the city’s copper smiths. His eyes portray the penetrating insight and judgment of Jesus. He searches our hearts and minds. He knows our deepest motivations. He is not fooled by false teachings. As the Son of God He exercises his divine authority to judge the ungodly nations and those who compromise. Jesus is the true, living Son of God. He protects us all the time, even in the midst of persecution. We must give our exclusive adoration and loyalty to Jesus and trust Him for our social and economic welfare. Jesus is far above and more powerful than all the things in our lives.

2. I Know Your Deeds

V19 — I know your works, your love and faith and service and endurance, and your last works are greater than the first.

Jesus commends this church for their love for both God and others. Love is the primary characteristic of God’s children. He commends them for their faith. They believe and trust in God and not in the world. They persevere faithfully in the face of opposition and pressure. He commends them for their service. They actively care for and help others. He commends them for their patient endurance in the midst of persecution and difficult circumstances. These four works describe the Christian life of loving and caring for others and faithfulness to God. These works are also how we persevere in witnessing to the outside world.

In contrast to Ephesus, where their first works were greater than their last works, Jesus commends Thyatira for their last works were now greater than their first works. They were a growing church. Their witness through their Christian living and increasing deeds had more impact. This is high praise indeed. What would Jesus say of our church and our personal lives? Are our last, our latter, current deeds more than our first deeds?

3. Don’t Tolerate, Repent!

Vv. 20-23 — But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and teaches and deceives my slaves to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will throw her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, and I will strike her children dead.

We read the story of Jezebel in 1 Kings 16-22. As the wife of king Ahab, she deceived Israel to worship Baal, and so committed spiritual adultery against God. She herself was not a prophetess but she sponsored the false prophets of Baal and Ashram. She also sought to kill God’s true prophets. And so she became an enduring symbol of idolatry and wickedness.

Jezebel is a symbolic name for a leader in the church who called herself a prophetess and deceived the believers with the same false teachings as those in Pergamum. In Thyatira, the problem was more economical and social. They risked losing their jobs and social status. These false teachers taught that it is okay to participate in the pagan worship feasts. Because an idol is not real and if you do not really believe in it, these activities will not harm you. The physical world was unimportant and your presence at the temple or feast table had no effect on your spiritual life. If your relationship with God was strong enough, involvement with sin and idols could not hurt you.

In verse 24 Jesus sarcastically calls these teachings “the deep things of Satan.” The false teachers came with all kinds of profound-sounding theological arguments which they claimed to be the deeper knowledge revealed to them by God. But actually, they are really from Satan, not from God.

She refused to repent. He calls those who were tolerating these teachings and those who were following them to repent. The church has no business compromising at any point with pagan worship and the practices that reflect these false teachings. He is coming in judgment. He will take real and powerful action. He will throw her onto a bed, a symbol of suffering sickness. He will throw those who have committed adultery with her into great tribulation unless they repent from her works. He will strike her children dead.

And then, all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works (v. 23).

Jesus is the Searcher of hearts and minds. This explains the meaning of his eyes which are like flames of fire.  He sees into the core of our being and lays bare the deepest part of our being. We may be able to hide our motives from human eyes but not from God’s searching vision. It alludes to Jer. 17:10: “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.”

The theme of judgment according to our deeds appears throughout the New Testament. Jesus teaches such (Matt. 12:36–37; 16:27; 25:34–36), as does Paul (Rom. 2:6–10; 14:12; 1 Cor. 3:12–15; 2 Cor. 5:10), Peter (1 Pet. 1:17), and John (John 5:28–29; Rev. 2:23; 20:12–13; 22:12). To judge includes to reward for a life of faithfulness. Our motives and beliefs (hearts and minds) will eventually show up in how we act. Salvation by grace through faith results in good works (Gal. 5:6; Eph. 2:8–10). As a result, our deeds are the public evidence of the reality of an authentic, personal, living faith. John Stott puts it this way: “Deeds or works are never the ground or means of salvation, but they are the necessary evidence of it, and therefore they constitute an excellent basis for judgment.” This biblical truth brings both assurance, responsibility, and accountability to the believer. We are responsible for working out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12–13). We will give account to our Lord for how we have lived the new, kingdom life that He gave to us (Rom 14:12).

4. I Will Give You

Vv. 24-29 — But to you I say, to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned the deep things of Satan as they say; I do not lay on you any other burden, except hold on to what you have until I come. And the one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron and shatter them like jars made of clay as I also have received authority from my Father, and I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

For the faithful, Jesus requires one thing, hold on to what we already have in Him until He comes back. We must hold on to Him, his Word, and the fundamentals, the essentials of His teachings. When we dabble with false teachings, we are playing with fire. Sadly, it seems in our post-modern and post-truth society, “tolerance is the only real virtue and intolerance the only vice” (Michaels). As one author said, “while the message to Ephesus warns the church about the dangers of loveless orthodoxy, the message to Thyatira warns against the dangers of a ‘soft’ love that tolerates all things and judges none” (Gonzalez). We should not tolerate false teachings.

In my 33 years of ministry, I have seen many false teachers and teachings come and go. Many new ideas, fads, and methods for church ministries and missions have come and gone. We must be careful of the new and exciting, careful of the new teachings that tickle what our itching ears want to hear.  We don’t have to run after every new craze or trend. Jesus calls us to hold on to what we have, to hold on to Him, to hold on to the basics of the faith and Christian living. Just keep on doing the basics even when it doesn’t seem exciting, novel, or cutting edge. Even when it seems boring, persevere in doing the basics.

Because we overcome and are victorious when we keep the works of Christ — love, faith, service, and endurance. It is living the kingdom life He taught and showed us. We overcome when we hold on to what we have and keep on doing the deeds of Christ. Then, Jesus promises us, that we will share in his reign over the nations. We will rule with Him in his kingdom. Psalm 2, quoted here, is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. God the Father announced Him as his Son at his baptism and transfiguration and gave all authority on heaven and earth to Jesus to rule over the nations. And as the Father gave it to Him, He gives it to us.

Jesus will give us the morning star. He is himself the morning star (Rev. 22:16). He is the fulfillment of the messianic promise in Numbers 24:17. He gives himself to us. He is with us always. He is saying, “Where I am you will be also.” We will have an eternal fellowship with the Son of God.

But this is not only a promise for the end. It has already begun. God’s kingdom has come and Jesus is already ruling as Lord of the universe. And so also, our rule with Him in his kingdom has already begun. We are already a kingdom and priests, a royal priesthood. God delegated his rule over the earth to us (Gen 1:26-27; Ps 8:6; Dan 7:14, 22). Jesus said that the meek will inherit the earth (Mt 5:5). Believers will reign with him (2 Tim. 2:12) and judge the earth. We are to be a blessing to all the nations. With all his power and authority, he is with us always, and we exercise his rule by making disciples of all peoples.

Where does all this leave us? Like the believers in Thyatira, we are tempted to compromise to fit into the culture. We desire to be socially accepted. We try to please the right people. We want to enhance our profits, keep our jobs, advance our careers, and so we compromise. In today’s society there are many values and practices, which if we give in to them, they will destroy our Christian witness and life. It begs the question, to whom do we ultimately look for our well-being and survival?

Which audience matters the most: the world, powerful people who claim to guarantee our security and safety, or Jesus? We should play to the only audience that really matters, Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus’ approval on the Day of Judgment has to matter more to us than our wealth or status in this life. He is coming and his judgment that knows our hearts and minds should guide how we act and live here and now. (1 Pet 1:17)

Like the believers in Thyatira, we have a choice. Who is our master? Jesus or the culture? How much is Jesus worth to you? What kind of value do you place on Jesus? Do you value Him more than your career, job, business, politics, the economy, or nationality? The choice is clear and we should not allow nor tolerate false teachers to muddle things up. Jesus Christ is our Lord and Master. We should value Him more than anything else regardless of the price we have to pay. We must be ready to lose our jobs, status, and wealth for Him, and even die for Him. We will gain a much bigger price in the end. Great will be our reward for those who hold on to what we have, who keep doing the works of Christ until He comes. And He is coming soon. Come, Lord Jesus.