Revelation: Church at Thyatira

 To the church of Thyatira 18-29

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; 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.   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.  And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.  Behold, I will cast her into a bed and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent or their deeds.  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.  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.  But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:  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.  And I will give him the morning star.  he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Attribute:  “The Son of God, who hath His eyes like unto a flame of fire, and His feet are like fine brass.”

Attribute applied:  Jesus says:  “ I know:
 your works
 charity
 service
 faith
 your patience
 your works

“Not withstanding I have a few things against thee”...

 
This church has allowed 'that woman Jezebel' in that teaches sexual impurity and to eat things sacrificed unto idols and is causing others to fall from the Lord through deceptions of this kind of sin.  It needs to be noted here that Jesus says if verse 21 'And I gave her space to repent of her fornication and she repented not.'  The Lord always gives time to repent; for some, it can be for as long as their natural life is but not for others such as this woman.

This sin that the church has allowed in has long effects.  Any sin does:  It effects those around us for a long ways.  If a person could see the effects what he or she does and says, I wonder would we do and say some of the things we do and say?  We think no one will know or care, but people do.  Look at the world today, at the mess we are all in.  This is the effects of someones' sin.

Attribute applied:  The Lord is demanding purity from them and from us, that is the reason for the “His eyes like unto a flame of fire, and feet like fine brass” which represents purity.  

V 18 Feet travels:  Isaiah 52:7. How beautiful upon the mountain are the feet of him that brings good tidings, that publish peace; that brings good tidings of good, that publishes salvation; that says unto ion, 'Your God reigns..."

Also this is the only letter that says, "The Son of God".  Why?  Because The Son of God is the Redeemer of our souls, the One Who died and rose from the dead to deliver us out of the hand of the enemy, and made us to be victorious.

Fire burns, it burns hot,  It cleanses and makes pure.  This church and us today needs to repent and let the Word cleanse us from the impurities we have allowed into our lives.  His eyes:  because He sees into our very being and knows the truth of our lives, what we think, if what we are doing is in right-standing or a show.

Brass represent oneness with the Lord Jesus Christ:

 Brass is an alloy of zinc and copper and is a substitutional alloy.  (Jesus took our place on the cross and paid for our sin so we don’t have too--we couldn’t anyway.)   It is used in place of gold (we are here to be the light, hands, feet of Jesus.)  Jesus is the propitiation of our sin through faith.  (Propitiation "is viewed as appeasing divine justice and effecting reconciliation between God and man." *) Romans 3:25,  1 John 2:2, 1 John 4:10

 Brass is resistant to tarnishing and is a natural germicidal.  When we are walking in God Word-studying it, living it, confessing it, sin and sickness must flee and die.

 
 Brass has malleability--it is capable of being reshaped or extended by beating with a hammer or by pressure of rollers.  And is an easy material to cast.  We must let the Potter make us into what He wants us to be--Righteous, over-comers, living in victory and without sin.  

 Brass has acoustic properties--we are to make melody in our hearts to the Lord.   We are to sing His praises and worship Him.

 Brass becomes stronger and self healing when aluminum is mixed with it.  I had asked the Lord about this:  “Why not mix aluminum in with the zinc and copper?”  His answer was immediate:  “ Because I don’t want you to be hard hearted but tender-hearted to the needs of other and you can not heal yourself.  I am your Healer!”

 This brass alloy must be produced with great care, with special attention placed on a balanced composition and proper production temperatures and parameter to avoid long-term failures.  God has taken great care to make sure of our success in Him!!  The word alloy means:   *A state as to being mixed with base metals; comparative purity.  A substance composed of two or more metals INTIMATELY mixed and united, usually by being fused together and dissolving in each other when molten; as, brass is an alloy of copper and zinc.  This leaves no room for impurities.  

Jesus prayed in John 17: 20-23  “...Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word;  that they all may be one; as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that You has sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me, that they may be made perfect in One; and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and has loved them, as You have loved Me.  Father, I will that they also whom You have given Me, be with Me where I AM; that they may behold My Glory, which You have given Me:  for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O Righteous Father, the world has not know You:  but I have know You, and these have know that You have sent Me.  An I have declared unto them Your Name, and will declare it:  that the Love wherewith You have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

John 16:33. These things, I have spoken unot you, that in Me you might have peace.  In the world you hsall have tribulation:  but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

He is telling them, and us that we must keep ourselves pure and separated from the sexual and worldly lust and be united intimately with Him.  Those who have not gotten caught in this trap He says to them:  “ I will put upon you none other burden.  But that which ye have already hold fast till I come."

Repent, do what is right in His site and you will receive a
Reward:  To him will I give power over the nations:  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.   AND I will give him the Morning Star.

Revelation 22:16 

Facts about brass is from the on-line encyclopedia: Wikipedia
* Definition of  alloy and propitiation is from Webster’s New International Dictionary 2nd edition

Revelation: Church At Pergamos

 To the church of Pergamos Revelation 2:12-17

And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write;  These things saith He which hath the sharp sword with two edges;  I know your works, and where thou dwells, even where Satan’s seat is:  and you hold fast my name and have not denied my faith, even in those day wherein     Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwells.  But I have a few things against you, because thou have there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of  Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.  So have you also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.  Repent, or else I will come unto you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.  He that hath and ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches, to him that overcomes will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows saving he that receives it.

Attribute:  “He which has the sharp sword with two edges”

This church allows people into their congregation that is leading people into sin by deception.   It should not be allowed!

Pergamos is where there is a throne and altar for satan.  He was worshipped here and lived here in Pergamos. There is where God's faithful servant Antipas (2:13) was killed for preaching the Truth of the gospel.  

It is interesting to note that in this verse Jesus says He knows this:
 your works
 and where you live
    AND
 where satan's seat is
 where satan lives
    Knowing those things He also knows:
 who is holding fast His name and has not denied 'My' faith

In the midst of all the evil and all that is wrong in this area there are those who love the Lord with all their hearts, work for Him, and will NOT deny His name nor His faith, but will keep going on being faithful.  

This can be applied today.  With all the evil that is growing in our communities, state, country, world, we can remain faithful and do the work of the Lord even when it means death to our bodies.  Because death to our bodies brings us into eternity with Jesus!

The problem with this church are two-fold
 they have allowed people in that hold to the doctrine of Balaam.  Balaam you remember from Numbers chapters 23 and 24 that Balak hired Balaam to curse Israel but God told him he better not do that.  But Balaam was so enamored with the money Balak offered him.  You can read the rest of the story there in Numbers.  It very interesting and God used a donkey which spoke to Balaam.  Balaam then told Balak how to be a stumbling block to the children of Israel and that is what is happening here in this church.  The leaders have allowed this same teaching in to be a stumbling block to God's people.
 also they have allowed and hold to the doctrine of the nicolaitanes, who led "lives of unrestrained indulgence". (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolaism)  

The Lord hates both of these practices and tells us to STAY AWAY  from them.

Attribute applied:

The Sword:

 Isaiah 49:1-2 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord has called Me from the womb, from the bowel of My mother has He made mention of My name.  And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of His hand has He hid me, and made Me a polished shaft in His quiver; has He hid Me;
 Ephesians 6:16-17 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God
 Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is the discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Second Corinthians 6:14-18 says, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers?  for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?  and what communion hath light with darkness?  and what concord hath Christ with Belial?  or what part hath he that believes with an infidel?  and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?  for ye are the temple of the Living God; as God hath said, “I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate”, saith the Lord, “and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters”, saith the Lord Almighty.

The sword divides.  It divides the wrong from the right.  The wrong needs to be cut off and gotten rid of––cast away.  As you can see in the scripture of 2 Corinthians 6: 14-18 the Lord does not want us to be unequally yoked with unrighteousness.  By allowing this evil teaching in the church causes confusion and unrest and leads people away from the truth.  This should not be.  The leaders of the church needs to boot that out.  We either take up the sword and boot out evil in the Name of Jesus or Jesus will take up the sword and will boot us out.
 
Jesus told them (and us) in verse 16 of Revelation 2, “ Repent, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”  This church and us are to repent for this fellowship with sin and and boot them out of our churches if they do not repent.  We are the ones to deal with this.  Jesus gave us the authority in His Name to do this, also it is our place to do it.  He tells us to have NO fellowship with false teachers and with the people who what nothing to do with the Lord and living righteously.

He will come and “fight against them with the sword of His mouth”.  But we have the same sword--the Word of God and this fight is for us to do .  It won’t be the blessing that it should be.  Just like Pharaoh was to be a blessing to Israel when they were to leave Egypt and give Israel the wealth that belongs to them for all the years of service.  But Pharaoh, because of his selfishness and wanting slaves to build his wealth and cities would not be obedient.  God used him anyway but not to Pharaoh’s or Egypt’s benefit.  Pharaoh and his army were killed in the Red Sea and Egypt lost it power and status in the world.  

He is telling us the same thing today:  we are to repent, turn on back on the evil world and “come out from among them, and be ye separate”.  Then we will overcome and will:

Reward:  be given to eat of the hidden manna, and will be given a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows saving he that receives it!