By Elizabeth Prata
SYNOPSIS
Reflecting on Revelation 2, I examine Jezebel of Thyatira, distinguishing her followers from her ‘children,’ a second generation of false teachers. Citing verses, commentators and modern examples, the piece warns that Christ patiently allows repentance yet ultimately judges churches and the people that tolerate doctrinal pollution within them.
I keep going back to Revelation 2. I’m fascinated with that chapter. The false prophetess of Thyatira had polluted the church with teaching false doctrines. Jesus said he had given her time to repent but she would not repent.
What did she need to repent of? There are two clues here that you can use to detect a false teacher.
Statement #1: she was prophesying words Jesus did not say. He hates that. (Jeremiah 23:21). Prophesying from her own mind spoke from their own minds, spreading lies, false visions, and unauthorized messages is a grave sin for which the book of Jeremiah spends a great deal of time explaining how much of a sin. (Jeremiah 23:16, 30-32).
Statement #2: She was teaching her disciples and followers to give in to their carnal desires. In this case it was licentiousness and sensuality. But any teacher who professes the Bible will NEVER teach that is it OK to indulge ANY carnal desire, whether sensuality, or greed, covetousness, etc.
The Lord giving her time to repent indicates that perhaps some people had come to her warning her to stop teaching their people falsely. Yet she not only refused to repent, she had persisted so long in her evil teachings, that Jesus wrote a letter condemning not only her, but the church for tolerating her. Had the church filed to discipline her, AKA excommunicate her? It is likely. Jesus is angry with the church for tolerating her.
Now we come to an interesting verse.
And I will kill her children with plague, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. (Revelation 2:23).
Who are her children? Barnes’ Notes comments,
And I will kill her children with death – A strong Hebraistic mode of expression, meaning that he would certainly destroy them.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary says, “her children—(Isa 57:3; Eze 23:45, 47). Her proper adherents; not those who [endure] her, but those who are begotten of her. A distinct class from the last in Revelation 2:22.“
Ah! A careful reading reveals two classes of women warned.
So, what does Revelation 2:22 say about the first bunch of people warned?
Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.
So there are those whom Jesus threatens who committed adultery with metaphorical Jezebel. And in the next verse there are those ‘children’ whom Jesus threatens to kill. It does seem like there are two distinct classes being threatened here.
MacArthur said of the first group being threatened, “And so the promise here is a promise of severe judgment on the woman and great chastening on those who followed her. But there’s another group in verse 23, a completely different group.“
In the next verse, MacArthur said,
What does He mean? I don’t think He means His bondservants who were following her. He means the second generation of her falsehood. It tells me this, that this thing had been around long enough in this church – remember, we’re in 96 A.D. and this church has been around for 40 years, this thing has been around long enough that there is a second generation of people propagating the same stuff. That’s her children. She has begotten a generation who are advocating the same thing, offspring of her debauchery. And the Lord says I’ll kill them and I’ll kill them with a pestilence, a plague, literally, I’ll kill them with death. I’ll kill them with death. Very severe judgment. (Source Thyatira: The Church that Tolerates Sin).
Please take note of this message to the church here at Thyatira. Jesus takes pollution in His churches very seriously. He is long-suffering (‘gave her time to repent’) but He is not a milquetoast. As the head of the church He will not tolerate sin inside it forever.
These days, we often hear that so-and-so is a spiritual mother. That is the same idea referred to in the verses. Metaphorical Jezebel was a spiritual mother to many, so many that Jesus noted it and commanded her and the daughters to stop. Sin is like leaven, it spreads quickly. In our day some metaphorical Jezebels have been around long enough to have spawned a second and even a third generation of women who have been influenced by their evil example.
Recently, Podcaster Annie F. Downs of “That Sounds Fun” interviewed Beth Moore on her new study. (episode 1026). In the podcast, Downs called Moore her “spiritual mother”. In the podcast later, Downs also referred to Joyce Meyer as a spiritual mother. Both Moore and Meyer are false teachers. The example these women give up-and-coming women is the terrible example of usurping men in the church, and attempting to gain leadership positions not prescribed for women. Downs said,
“You know, I’ve said this behind your back a lot, Beth, but, you know, you and there are some other women that come to my mind, Joyce Meyer and Kay Arthur, y’all went first and broke open a lot of doors for a lot of us.” … “But you open the doors for women to have leadership and to teach the Bible.”
God never banned women from teaching the Bible. That door was already open. We see that through the examples of Lois/Eunice, Priscilla, and Anna. The door these ‘spiritual mothers’ opened was into roles reserved for men. Women are not mean for leadership in the church. Even women who are in seeming leadership positions such as teaching children or other women are to be overseen by the men, whom the Bible actually calls “overseers”. (Acts 20:28, Philippians 1:1, 1 Timothy 3:1).
Influencers are called that for a reason. What you need to do is follow a mentor, a sister, a friend, who influences you toward Christ.
If anyone ever doubted that our actions have influence, just watch or listen to who some of the women you follow claim as their ‘spiritual mothers’. If their ‘mother’ is a false teacher, then my admonition for you is two-fold. Repent of following a false teacher and praise the Holy Spirit for opening your eyes. Repentance brings mercy, and heed the warning Jesus gave to Thyatira. Because he does not change now or ever, He still feels the same way about pollution in the church. Following a false spiritual mother without repentance means He considers you as a pollutant. There is no good end for the sister who follows a Jezebel.
Further Resources
Avoiding being deceived by a false teacher comes down to discernment. Here is Dustin Benge at Ligonier on how to develop this critically necessary skill: How to Develop Your Spiritual Discernment
More and more women, especially young women, are being deceived as 2 Timothy 3:13 tells us. Here is a good Founders article that comments on this phenomenon. Ladies, you don’t have to undertake Bible studies written by women, follow only women online, etc. As your pastor is a man, it is wise and perfectly fine to follow men online, read books by men, and do Bible studies authored by men. In fact, though false teaching is rife in the male spheres too, it is probably wiser to avoid women-influenced material for now until your discernment is honed.
the-end-time.org 