Countering Denials of a Final Judgment (Rev. 2:18-29)

The fourth letter from Jesus Christ is to the church in Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29). It introduces us to the subject of final judgment for sin. There were statements of personal and immediate judgment on the churches in Ephesus and Pergamos (2:5, 16), but not of final judgment. However, in each of the final four letters written respectively to Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea the Lord uses terms that in other Scriptural passages were found in the context of final judgment, the Day of the Lord. For example, in 2:22 He speaks of "great tribulation;" in 3:3, of His coming "like a thief;" in 3:10, of "the hour of testing;" and in 3:16, of being "spit out" of the Lord's mouth. Apparently these four represent churches that existed then, exist now, and will exist into the Day of the Lord when final judgment takes place.

Contrary to what the Bible declares, and to what the Lord Jesus reiterates here, most people think final judgment is unlikely. The Apostle Peter predicted this world-wide denial in 2 Pet. 3:3-4, 10:

Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking .. and saying, 'Where is the promise of his coming?' But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.

Our present passage for consideration, Rev. 2:18-29, suggests two reasons for this foolish thinking. Today we will consider the first reason (2:18) of limited, human ability and unfounded hopes. Next week we will look at the second (2:19-29), namely the praise-worthy status of an individual or a church.

We can picture the unsaved masses in the world as typified by those "in Thyatira." Creatures, such as we, have no ability independently to know the future. If a choice is to be made as to whether there might be or might not be a final judgment, we naturally choose the latter, though we can't be sure. We think only like a man. We are not God. Humans can be deceived; God cannot. Notice the title Jesus claims for Himself, i.e. “the Son of God.” He uses this name to assert His proper Deity. He is of the same nature and has the same perfections with His Father. Now compare that title to 2:20 “the woman Jezebel who calls herself a prophetess.” She may claim to be a prophetess but it is only a shallow claim. She neither speaks for God nor has the same perfections as He. No man is the vicar of God; only the incarnate Son of God. Add to her limited powers the many limited people that followed her teaching, i.e. she “leads my bond-servants astray.” They, too, are mere humans and do not think God’s thoughts. God is on the one side and humans, on the other.

Speaking as God, then, the Lord demands that He is to be known as the divine Judge of all men. Those who deny the final judgment need to meet the final Judge (John 5:22). He “has eyes like a flame of fire.” Certainly the One whose knowledge of the future is greater than any man's is the same One whose insight into the secrets and motives of man is greater than any man's. His mind is alive and sharp and penetrating through the darkness of every man’s state (Heb. 4:12). And while He is to be known by His enemies as the Judge who will expose every evil in man, He is also to be known by His people as the One whose feet is “like burnished bronze.” Feet refers to stability and that is what He, as the Judge, gives to every one of His disciples who face judgment. Because of Christ's strength God's judgment is averted and man's judgment against the saints is harmless. They will stand stable for eternity.

Those unsaved masses of humanity, typified in the city of Thyatira, are limited in their knowledge of the future so they cannot dogmatically say there is no final judgment. But also they are basically gambling on their denial. At the very best, their bold affirmation of no final judgment is an unfounded hope. Man is part of a world system that hopes such judgment is unlikely. Just consider the glory of the city of Thyatira. Can this all go up in smoke? See Revelation 18:8-19 Two treasures blind the masses to the true future, i.e. their heritage and their successes.

Thyatira's Heritage. After the death of Alexander the Great, his kingdom was divided up between four of his generals. One of these, Seleucus I, established the state of Pergamum in 282 BC. It was at this time that Thyatira became the eastern flank of Seleucus' kingdom and it was re-founded by him as a military outpost (the name Thyatira means 'the citadel or castle of Thya' and indicates that a settlement already existed there before Seleucus re-fortified it). It basically was a sentinel city. At times it was to protect Sardis from Pergamos. At other times it was to meet any enemy from the east, delay its advance, and warn the more important Pergamos. Thyatira was not a jewel worth fighting for except in the sense that it could be used to hinder an advancing army. The garrison stationed here would, therefore, have been composed of the more guerrilla-like warriors who would be less concerned with winning a war than with throwing the enemy into disarray and hindering its speedy onslaught. When our history has been one of averting disaster after disaster, why should we imagine that we cannot avert another? Man's reliance on his own strength will be his greatest downfall in that Day to come.

Thyatira's Successes. Commercially, Thyatira flourished. It became noted for the weaving, linen, dye, leather, and bronze trades. The city was well organized into trade guilds. Everyone in a trade had to be part of a guild. Each guild selected specific deities to worship. The guild members were then required to worship and support their guild's deity. In the guild's fellowship meals, food was first sacrificed to idols and, after the meals, orgies were a frequent occurrence. Those who refused such pagan worship essentially forfeited their right to practice their trade. To turn their backs on their guild's deities was a serious offense. Sometimes the guilds even profited financially from the worship of pagan deities. The guilds opposed Christianity since its spread meant a loss of business from formerly pagan worshipers. The citizens of the city could say, 'Hitherto my god has protected me; he will do so in the future.' But it won't happen. They will be judged by the Almighty God.

So then, the limitations of humans and their unfounded hopes mark their denials of a final judgment as suspect. Next week, we look at the fraility of a good reputation.

Verse for Today: "It is appointed unto man once to die, and after that, the judgment."

Your Step for Today: Discuss with your neighbors and friends the strengths of their country or their family. Talk about the history of those strengths and then about what the future holds in the light of them.

Your Prayer for Today: Pray that Christians may continue to be able to worship, work and witness in this country.