Video Transcript: Thyatira

Akhisar which means the white fortress is a county district and its Town Center  is in Manisa province in the Agean region of western Turkey. It is the largest  county in its region, and a city center bigger than 32 out of 80 Province capitals  in Turkey, with a population of 100,000 Akhisar is located in a fertile plane on the great Zab River. The ancient lake is surrounded by mountains which are  perpendicular to the sea in east west direction. With archeological findings that  are proving settlements going back to 3000 BC, Akhisar has been a busy Trade  Center, with its strategic location at the intersection of important roads during  ancient and medieval ages. It was one of the cities where money was first used.  Akhisar is also the ancient city of Thyatira. Come with me on a journey, quest for answers, looking for the first followers of Christ in Turkey. Akhisar is located in  western Turkey, approximately 65 kilometers southeast of Pergamum and 120  kilometers northeast of Izmir on highway 565. Situated on the broad Akhisar plain, the city was in the northern part of the ancient kingdom of Lydia. Because  of its location in the center of the large level plane, the city had few natural  defenses. Akhisar today is still the center of trade and business in its region. The modern town is connected by railway and the road to Izmir and the greater  Manisa province exports cotton, tobacco, graphite, opium, wool, raisins and  dyes. Akhisar's name is internationally associated with tobacco. The fertile  Akhisar plain provides about 10% of total Turkish tobacco production. Akhisar's high quality olives and olive oil are also globally known. Ancient Akhisar is  almost entirely covered by the buildings and streets of the modern town.  However, buildings and ruins from ancient times and the middle ages can still be seen all over the town. One is very likely to see ancient stones or column heads  on street corners in the older city. The main ruins of the ancient city, which can  be viewed today are in the Tempemezari section of downtown Akhisar are  located in a fenced off rectangular city block. Tempemezari was subjected to an  in depth archaeological excavation between 1969 and 1971. excavations have  uncovered the remains of a large building complex consisting of a basilica style  building with an Apse and a rectangular building adjacent to it. This building  complex likely from the fifth or sixth century AD, was probably a civic building  rather than a church. Nearby are portions of arches and columns from a  monumental entrance to a colonnaded Street, as well as portions and of the  columns that line the street from the second and fourth centuries AD. Several  Greek inscriptions lie among the ruins of ancient Thyatira, and many more have  been taken to the Archaeological Museum in the city of Manisa, located about  50 kilometers southeast of Akhisar towards Izmir. Many coins found at the site  evidence that guilds of bakers bronze knits will workers, Potter's linen Weaver's  and tanners were active in the community. The modern city of Akhisar spread  across the surface of what was once the first century city of the Thyatira. The  origin and meaning of this name are uncertain. Some have suggested that  Thyatira means sweet saver of labor, Thyatira was founded by Seleueus I as a 

military outpost to a guard one of the approaches to his empire. Since it  possesses no natural fortifications. It will draw heavily upon the spirit of its  soldiers citizens to make up for its vulnerability. In 190 BC, the city fell to the  Romans and first became part of the Kingdom of Pergamon and then part of the province of Asia. With the coming of stable conditions under Roman rule,  Thyatira was destined for growth and prosperity as a center for manufacturing  and marketing. An outstanding characteristic of Thyatira was the large number  of trade guilds that flourished there. The archaeologist Sir William Ramsay  noticed that inscriptions, although not especially numerous mentioned  woodworkers, linen workers, makers of outer garments dyers, leather workers,  tanner's potters, bakers, slave dealers, and bronze smiths the divine guardian of the city was the god Tyrimnos identified with the Greek god, Apollo, the god of  sun, who would be conceived of as a patron of the guilds and therefore honored  in their festivities. Since the trade guilds were inseparably intertwined with local  religious observances, they pose a special problem for the economic well being  of Christians. All such trades had guilds, which were very close knit clubs, a kind of local union that served as the primary social structure for the artisans and  their families. Each of these guilds had their patron deities and the primary  social events. Among these guilds were the festive meals where food was  served in the context where had been sacrificed to the patron deity. Very often  these meals became an occasion for sexual immorality to flourish, where girls  were made available at male only meals. The Christians who are members of  these commercial trades would have a difficult time holding on to non  compromise faith in view of the pressure from the guilds to worship at the  various city temples and attend the guild feasts, most of which had religious  connotations. The city of Thyatira is first mentioned in the Bible in the book of  Acts, according to Acts 16, when Paul, Silas, and apparently also Timothy  traveled to Philippi, where they met a woman named Lydia who is described as  from the city of Thytira and a dealer in purple cloth, Lydia became a convert to  Christianity, and along with her household was baptized. Lydia then insisted that Paul and Silas stay at her home during the visit to Philippi. Nothing more is  known of this first Christian converted on European soil. And to the angel of the  church in Thyatira write, these things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a  flame of fire, and his feet like fine brass. I know your works, love, service, faith,  and your patience. And as for your works, the last are more than the first.  Nevertheless, I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman  Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce my servants to  commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time  to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. Indeed, I will cast her  into a sick bed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation,  unless they repent of their deeds, I will kill her children with death. And all the  churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will 

give to each one of you according to your works. Now to you I say, and to the  rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not known the  depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden, but hold fast,  what you have till I come and he who overcomes and keeps my works until the  end. To him I will give power over the nation's he shall rule them with a rod of  iron. They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels, as I also have  received 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. Revelation 2:18-29.  Concerning the letter to Thyatira, Firma writes, the longest and most typical of  the seven letters is addressed to the least known, least important and least  remarkable of the cities. The Christians in Thyatira evidently did not face the  danger of splendid pagan religions, or pagan lifestyle. Neither were they, under  the oppression of the emperor worship or menaced by Jewish beliefs. The threat of this church does not come from outside, but from within. For some people  today tolerance is the only real virtue and intolerance is the only vice. The  message of Thyatira goes against the grain of modernity by setting limits to  tolerance. The main criticism to Thyatira is that the church has tolerated  something and someone that should not be tolerated. Also, the message to the  church of Thyatira reveals Jesus keen interest in care for the spiritual well being  of his people. In this message he also urges them to maintain faithfulness, no  matter what the consequences to the Christians of Thyatira, Jesus comes as the Son of God, the One whose eyes are as a flame of fire and his feet like  burnished bronze. In the introductory vision, Jesus appears as a son of man, but here he is the Son of God. It stands in strong contrast to the local cultic worship  of Apollo, which was merged with emperor worship and identified Apollo as  being incarnate so that both were acclaimed as sons of Zeus. Consequently, it is not the emperor or the guardian deity of Thyatira, but the resurrected Christ who is the true son of God. Christ's description reminds us of the divine messenger  in Daniel. His eyes were like flaming torches his arms and feet like the gleam of  polished bronze. The flaming eyes symbolizes Christ's penetrating ability to see  the innermost part of human beings. The feet like burnished bronze signify his  uncompromising stability. The church is evidently under intense and careful  scrutiny, by the penetrating discernment of the one who searches the thoughts  and intentions of every person, dear friend, present God's warm words, the Bible declares, I am the Lord. There is no other God, being the Almighty and the only  God, his concern about what goes on in your heart, in your mind. The Lord does not look at things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but  the Lord looks at the heart. For this reason, the Psalmist wrote, Lord, you have  examined me and you know me, you know everything I do. From far away, you  understand all my thoughts. You see me, whether I'm working or resting. You  know all my actions, even before I speak, you already know what I will say.  Therefore, we must hear God's voice and invitation, my son, give me your heart.

The glorified Christ is well aware of the deeds that characterize the Thyatira  church. They're listed as a series of praiseworthy Christian qualities love for  there's nothing greater than love, faith for continuing trustful reliance on Christ.  Service for this is what the master expects to find his servants doing and  perseverance for steady progress is more important than a strong beginning.  How wonderful would it be to hear this from God? I know how you've lived your  lives. I know that you love one another and are loyal to me. I know the way  you've helped one another, and your ability to endure. The accomplishments of  the church at Thyatira are not unimpressive love, faith, service and  perseverance are all mentioned. And then the phrases added that the believers  in Thyatira were achieving more now in these areas than they did at first which  suggests growth in Christian maturity. unusual situation since tendency is for  spiritual entropy to assert itself in the churches. There is a progress in the life of  this church which forms a contrast to Ephesus where the church was slipping  backward. The message to Thyatira is the only one of the seven that contains a  recognition of improvement in spite of difficulties at Thyatira, the church that was experiences spiritual growth. There is much to commend at Thyatira. Wouldn't it  be nice to hear from the Lord? I know that you are now doing more than when  you first believed in me when you first became my follower. May God help us to  be like Thytira in our spiritual growth. The apostle Paul, the author of the letter to the Hebrews was concerned with those who were not maturing spiritually. He  told those Christ followers. In fact, though by now you should be teachers. You  still need someone to teach you the basic truths of God's Word. You have  become people who need milk instead of solid food. Just as Jesus developed  from childhood to maturity, you and I should grow in our spiritual life as well. The Bible declares Jesus kept on growing wiser and more mature and in favor with  God and his fellow man. The church in Thyatira is clearly a divided church. On  the surface. It is a very active church full of love and faith manifested in service  and perseverance. In the eyes of Christ. However, an active Church does not  always mean a faithful church. As Barclay notes. The threat to the church has  not come from outside the church from persecution, appealing pagan worship or worship of the Emperor. The threat has come rather from the inside, from those  who claim to have authority from God, but have led the church astray with the  most dangerous doctrines for the Christian church, a doctrine of compromise.  This apostate group is compared to Jezebel, the Old Testament queen who led  Israel into sin. by supplementing the worship of the true God with the worship of  Baal. Jezebel of Thyatira calls herself a prophetess. In the early Christian  church, women also received the gift of prophecy. The gift of prophecy was  highly respected, because prophets were regarded as receiving direct  revelations from God. The fact that a woman exercised in such an influential  leadership role in late first century Christianity is not unique. ancient Jewish  inscriptions from Anatolia and elsewhere testify to many important leadership 

roles held by women in synagogues. According to Eusebius, the Christian  prophetess Ammia was very active in the church at Philadelphia. Jezebel in  Thyatira claims to have the gift of prophecy, yet she is portrayed as one who  teaches and deceives My servants to commit fornication and eat things  sacrificed to idols, she calls herself a prophetess, but her teaching is false. That  is what we met in the churches of Ephesus and Pergamum. Well, these two  churches were beset by this same false teaching the church in Thyatira as the  Greek text plainly indicates, allowed or tolerated its presence. The prophet is  openly taught and promoted compromise with the world standards, and she did  it with great success, for most of the congregation followed her seductive  teaching in a city whose economic life was dominated by trade guilds, in which  pagan religious practices had become the criteria for membership. Christian  converts would be faced with a problem of compromising their stand, at least  enough to allow participation in a common meal dedicated to some pagan deity.  To reject this accommodation could mean social isolation and economic  hardship. With her Nicolaitan orientation the prophetess could suggest that  since an idol is nothing at all, believers need not undergo the privation that  would follow from an unwillingness to go along with the simple requirements of  the trade guild. Christ, however, speaks with great severity about any such  compromise, since they were unwilling to repent even after considerable time.  Jezebel and her adulterous associates were to suffer greatly, and her children  were to be struck dead. Only a minority who are referred to as the remaining  ones had not succumb to her persuasive influence, and had remained faithful to  the gospel preached by John. The church at Ephesus lacked ardent love and  focused only on obedience to God, thus becoming legalistic and severe and  dealing with those who are not doctrinally sound. In contrast, the church of  Thyatira went to the other extreme in emphasizing love and the Gospel. This  church tolerated the false teaching that perverted sound doctrine and conduct  doing much harm to the purity of the gospel and the unity of the church. Every  generation of Christ followers, you and I included, must face the same question,  how far should we accept and adopt contemporary standards and practices? On the one hand, Christians must not deny the faith on the other, they must not  avoid interacting with those who are not yet Christ followers. Christians must be  in the world, but not of the world. The cause of Christ is not served if Christians  appear as a group of old fashioned people always trying to retreat from the real  world. Christians live in the same world as their neighbors and face the same  problems, they must find Christian solutions. The Prophetess and her followers  had been so ready to conform to the practices of the heathen neighbors that  they have lost sight of the essential Christian position. They had exalted  expediency over principle. If Christianity had taken this path, it would surely  have become just another of the Eastern cults, which had their day and then  perished. The Risen Lord points the very essence of Christian living when he 

urges the high standards of moral conduct. Christ emphasizes to those who  have not been persuaded by Jezebel's teaching that their only real concern  should be to continue holding fast, their uncompromising stance until Christ  returns these remaining ones are those who have not known deep things of  Satan. The verb to know in the Bible means more than intellectual knowledge. It  

denotes the knowledge that comes through experience, including the sexual  relationship. This remnant has not been involved in the spiritual adultery, of  experiencing in their lives, the depths of Satan's deceptive teaching, but has  remained loyal and unaffected by his deception. Christ is placing on them no  other burden than what was placed on Gentile Christians in general, by the  apostolic decree of Acts 15:28. Then these essentials, to abstain from things  sacrificed to idols, and from fornication, the overcomers in Thyatira, those who  remain loyal to Christ are given a twofold promise. First, Jesus promises that  they will share in his victory, he will give them authority over the nation's just that he has received authority from the Father. Second, he will also give them the  Morningstar, which is a symbol of Jesus Christ Himself, to those who remain  faithful. Jesus promises the greatest gift of all, the gift of himself, not only will the conquerors be with Christ and rule with him, but they will have a special and  close relationship with Him. They will never lose him and will be always with him  forever. If you're listening to this message today, it is because God has not given up on you. He is either saying to you Hold on, don't compromise. Or he is  saying, I forgive you. And today, I'm giving you a new opportunity. Can you hear  Christ saying just now? I am yours and you are mine. Everything I have. It is  yours. I want you to have today The best gift ever, myself. I've surrendered my  life for you. I want to be a reality in your life, sustaining you every day, protecting you each step until the day that I will come to take you home. Are you able to  hear Jesus saying to you, I want to embrace you when you fall. I want to wipe  your tears away. I want to forgive and restore you. I desire to revive you in the  joy and the peace that comes from a close walk with me. I want to present to  you all the wonderful plans that I have for you. I want to give you a future and a  hope. Are you willing to accept this plea from Jesus today? Jesus is imploring  you. Don't resist me. As you hear my voice. Do not harden your heart. Don't wait for tomorrow. Today is the day surrender yourself into my loving arms. Now, let  me be your friend, your Savior and your God. Because each day begins anew  you too can start afresh. You can search for the Lord with all your heart. With in  all your future hopes leave behind a love your fault and move forward in God's  loving arms. Let go of your sinful past. Leave those memories behind him  please. God accepts you as you are. When you hear his loving voice, Let  salvation take your heart. There's no other time like now choose the cross. Don't resist. Receive the Lord. Turn your heart to him. Now's the time for you to  decide. Don't reject the light. Free yourself from pain. God will never give up on  you. If you can't see any reason to keep living life your way if you think you're 

not worthy in God's eyes, stop right now and turn to Jesus do not turn away  from him, you can come to Jesus now just as you are. Don't reject the light. Free yourself from sin. God will never give up on you. Friend let's pray our God and  our Father, we're so grateful today that you are faithful and that you are so  patient with us. We're thankful that You are the Mighty One who continues to  transform our lives. And we pray that you will do that help us like Jesus to  continue to grow in your grace day by day. Father, I pray that you would enable  us to more and more have a life that will please you that we like theThyatirans  will continue to grow in love and and perseverance. But Father that you would  spare us from tolerating things that would lead us and others from you. Father,  give us a discernment each day to know what is your will for our lives help us  truly to be people who will be in the world but not of the world. May you be  honored in our lives today. And prepare us for that glad day when we will see  you face to face by your grace. We ask these things in Jesus name, amen. Dear friend, thank you so much for watching us today. Don't forget to share the quest  for answers. Looking for the first followers of Christ in Turkey with your friends  and relatives. Please visit our website. On our website. You can leave us a  message, your prayer request and order a copy of today's show or the complete series. If you feel moved to support our ministry, you can make your donation on our website as well. I hope to see you soon