ACC ~ Revelation 2 v18 - 29

OVERVIEW:

Thyatira means “for sacrifice,” for the life of the saints is one of living sacrifice (BEDE). Yet, among the noble faithful there are some who endanger the simple by an unwarranted leniency and by allowing new, false prophecies (VICTORINUS, CAESARIUS OF ARLES). Therefore Christ addresses both those who are faithful and those who are unsteady and faithless. He who is true God and true man discerns all things and is a threat to sinners (APRINGIUS, OECUMENIUS, ANDREW OF CAESAREA), even as he is the object of immutable faith and a spiritual fragrance and ointment to those who are being saved (OECUMENIUS, ANDREW OF CAESAREA). Christ recognizes that many are devoted and do works of love toward the needy, that they increase in obedience to his commandments and that they will even suffer martyrdom (APRINGIUS, OECUMENIUS).

However, some allow a heresy to exist that tempts the simple of mind to sin and idolatry (OECUMENIUS, ANDREW OF CAESAREA). For this spiritual harlotry Christ threatens a future condemnation, unless they repent (APRINGIUS, ANDREW OF CAESAREA). For that reason he has given them a time for repentance, for Christ desires the conversion and life of the sinner (OECUMENIUS). Some, however, do not repent, for they have been given over by God to a false security that comes from the absence of temporal punishment (PRIMASIUS). By faith the church knows that such persons will receive the hidden judgment of spiritual death (TYCONIUS), since God sees not only works and words but also thoughts and intentions and inner pleasures (CYPRIAN, BEDE).

Christ exhorts those who have not turned from the truth of the church to persevere in the apostolic teaching so that God might acknowledge them (TYCONIUS, ANDREW OF CAESAREA). To those who do remain faithful, Christ promises that the church will be given the power of Christ to judge (TYCONIUS), and therefore the saints will judge the apostate angels (APRINGIUS) and the faithless who allowed themselves to be deceived (ANDREW OF CAESAREA). For like a morning star that has fallen from heaven, Satan will be trampled by the saints (OECUMENIUS). However, Christ, the true Morning Star, is himself light and is always in light (APRINGIUS). Therefore, with his coming is heralded the new day of the first resurrection in which the darkness of error and the gloom of the present life are dispelled (TYCONIUS, APRINGIUS, ANDREW OF CAESAREA).

2:18a | Write to the Angel of the Church in Thyatira

CHRISTIANS OUGHT NOT GIVE WAY TO A FALSE MERCY. VICTORINUS OF PETOVIUM: The fourth class indicates the nobility of the faithful who do good works every day and who do greater works. But even among these the Lord shows that there are persons who too easily grant an unlawful peace and pay attention to new prophecies, and he urges and admonishes the others, to whom this is not pleasing, who know the iniquity of the adversary. And for these evils and deceptions he seeks to bring dangers upon the head of the faithful. And therefore he says, “I do not place upon you any further burden”—that is, “I have not given to you the observations and duties of the law,” which is another burden—“but hold fast to that which you have, until I come. And to him who conquers, I will give power over the nations”—that is “he will be established as judge among the rest of the saints”—and “I will give to him the morning star,” that is, Christ promises the first resurrection. For the morning star drives the night away and announces the light, that is, the beginning of the day. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 2.4.

CHRISTIAN LIFE IS A LIVING SACRIFICE. BEDE: Thyatira may be translated “for sacrifice.” For the saints present their bodies as a living sacrifice. EXPLANATION ON THE APOCALYPSE 2.18.

2:18b | Who Has Eyes Like Flames and Feet Like Bronze

CHRIST IS RESPLENDENT IN HIS SINLESSNESS. APRINGIUS OF BEJA: [His eyes like flames signify] his gaze which discerns all things, and [his feet like burnished bronze signify] his unstained flesh which glows, just like bronze in a fire is bright with clarity. TRACTATE ON THE APOCALYPSE 2.18.

CHRIST IS A THREAT TO SINNERS. OECUMENIUS: “The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like flames of fire” indicates the terrifying threat against sinners, and “whose feet are as burnished bronze,” denotes either the steadfast immutability of faith in him or the spiritual fragrance of the evangelical teachings. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 2.18-29.

CHRIST IS THE SPIRITUAL OINTMENT OF THOSE BEING SAVED. ANDREW OF CAESAREA: The text speaks of the fiery likeness of the eyes, which signifies the illumination of the righteous and the punishment of the sinners. The feet and the burnished bronze symbolize the fragrance of Christ, the spiritual ointment, among those who are being saved. They symbolize as well the undivided and unmixed unity of the divinity and humanity. For this unity, as though hardened in fire by the Holy Spirit, is incomprehensible to human reasoning. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 2.18.

2:19 | I Know Your Works

MANY SAINTS WILL BE MARTYRED. APRINGIUS OF BEJA: He says that he knows the work, the love, the faith, the service and the patience of his church. “And that your latter works exceed the first.” He indicates that at the end of time there will be a great number of saints, when, with the coming of the man of sin, the son of perdition, innumerable thousands of saints will be consecrated with their own blood. TRACTATE ON THE APOCALYPSE 2.19.

ONE MAY INCREASE IN OBEDIENCE. OECUMENIUS: “I know your works and your love and your faith and your service.” This is as though he said, “I praise you for your total devotion.” He says, “I know,” rather than “I praise,” since he had said to Moses, “I know you beyond all men,” and “the Lord knows the path of the righteous.” By “service” he means the succor which one gives to those in need. “And your latter works are more than the first.” This shows that as they progressed, they improved in their obedience to the commandments. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 2.18-29.

2:20-21 | The Woman Jezebel

CHRIST OPPOSES BISHOPS WHO FAIL TO DISCIPLINE SINNERS. CAESARIUS OF ARLES: He is speaking to the leaders of the churches who fail to impose the severity of ecclesiastical discipline upon the extravagant and the fornicator and those who do whatever other kind of evil. It is possible that this also refers to heretics. “Who calls herself a prophetess,” that is, a Christian, for many heresies flatter themselves with this name. EXPOSITION OF THE APOCALYPSE 2.20, HOMILY 2.

THE LORD DOES NOT WISH THE DEATH OF SINNERS. OECUMENIUS: To show that God alone possesses perfect sinlessness, he says, “I have this against you.” And what do I have [against you]? “That you have the woman, Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess,” and you do not throw her out. For in the person of Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, he sees a paradigm for the wickedness of that woman who lived at that time. And she, he says, “who calls herself a prophetess, teaches and deceives” many to commit fornication and to eat food sacrificed to idols. He refers either to physical fornication or to that apostasy from God of which it is said, “And they committed fornication in their works,” and again, “They committed adultery with wood.” But the Lord does not wish the death of a sinner but rather his conversion and life, and so he says that he gave to her an opportunity for repentance. But if she does not wish to repent, he says, I will do such and such to her and to those who commit adultery with her, so that all might know that it is I who am God—for it is the prerogative of God to search minds and the hearts. For it is said, “It is God who searches the heart and mind.” But, indeed, to those who have nothing in common with that adulterous woman, that is, those who are more simple and do not know the deceitful crafts of the evil one—for this is what you say—upon you I will place no greater burden, for your simplicity suffices. Only hold fast the teaching which has been handed over to you until my second coming. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 2.18-29.

HERESY CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO DECEIVE THE SIMPLE. ANDREW OF CAESAREA: Although on account of [your] faithfulness and your service for those in need I acknowledge your piety and your endurance, nonetheless I rightly blame you, because you allow the heresy of the Nicolaitans to exist openly. This heresy is figuratively called “Jezebel” because of its impiety and licentiousness. Because of this [heresy] my servants, through their simplicity of mind, are presented with a stone of stumbling and are drawn toward idolatrous practices from which they had [previously] fled. You must curb this [heresy], because it deceitfully calls herself a prophetess, being moved by an evil spirit. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 2.19-20.

2:21 | I Will Throw Her on a Sickbed

THE UNREPENTANT WILL RECEIVE JUDGMENT. APRINGIUS OF BEJA: The Lord promises that a sickness and a weariness will come to this doctrine, and a weakness of the sickbed, that is, the pleasure of this world. And to those who commit adultery through this teaching, he promises that a very great tribulation will come upon them on the Day of Judgment. For Jezebel herself is interpreted as “dung heap” or a “flowing of blood.” What else is thought to be in the filth of a dung heap or in blood, unless the evil deed and sin which is committed through fault? Therefore, rightly does he foretell a future condemnation for them, unless they strongly repent of their works. For he also mentions that he will damn her sons, that is, her disciples with the second death. TRACTATE ON THE APOCALYPSE 2.22.

GOD SOMETIMES GIVES A FALSE SECURITY TO SINNERS. PRIMASIUS: The bed here is to be understood as that security which sinners often promise to themselves when they have committed disgraceful crimes with impunity. That is, sinners at times do not experience the vengeance of present wrath and so neglect penance until sudden destruction comes upon them like the pain of childbirth and they are not able to escape. They are said to be given over by God to this neglectfulness that this security produces, for they are abandoned to a hidden, although not unjust, judgment. We read of such security also elsewhere: “The little ones are killed by their turning away, and the prosperity of the foolish will destroy them.” Another translation renders “mourning” for “bed,” whereby is designated the eternal misery that awaits those who do not repent from their works. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 2.22.

UNION WITH HERETICS IS A SPIRITUAL HARLOTRY. ANDREW OF CAESAREA: He continues to speak figuratively and compares the union with heretics to that with a harlot, and he threatens to throw her into sickness and death as well as those who have become defiled with her and have committed fornication before God, unless they should turn to him through repentance. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 2.22-23.

2:23 | I Will Strike the Children Dead

GOD SEES INTO OUR MIND AND WILL. CYPRIAN: One will not escape and avoid God as his judge, for the Holy Spirit says in the Psalms, “Thine eyes have seen my imperfection and all will be written in thy book,” and again, “Man looks upon the face, but God upon the heart.” Let the Lord himself also forewarn and instruct you with these words: “And all the churches shall know that I am he who searches the desires and hearts.” He perceives the concealed and the secret and considers the hidden, nor can anyone evade the eyes of God, who says, “Am I a God at hand, and not a God afar off? Shall a man be hid in secret places and I not see him?” He sees the hearts and breasts of each one, and, when about to pass judgment not only on our deeds but also on our words and thoughts, he looks into the minds and the wills conceived in the very recess of a still closed heart. THE LAPSED 27.

SINNERS WILL DIE A SPIRITUAL DEATH. TYCONIUS: How is it that before God hands over adulterers to death the churches do not know that God is he who searches mind and heart? How is it that the church is said to know at the end of things and not at the beginning of her faith that God knows all secrets? When he said, “all the churches will know,” he was not saying that the church would know only after the event but that the church knows from faith. For the words “I will kill” do not refer to that death that is visible but to spiritual death. Just as his revenge on the mother specifically would become visible, so he here promises that among all the churches it would become clear that the children of the woman, that is, those born of the same spirit, were subject to spiritual death, although they were not [visibly] delivered over to it. David also made this distinction between the particular and the general when he fought Goliath. He said, “I will kill you and all the earth will know that there is a God in Israel.” … Then he adds the particular when he says, “And all this assembly will know that the Lord saves his people not with sword and spear.” He said “all this assembly” because there were persons there who doubted that David could prevail against Goliath. To be sure, there were also spiritual persons who believed that he would defeat [Goliath] in the name of God. Those among whom this event occurred in their presence saw with their own eyes, not by faith. However, through faith we see God at work today, not as they did but in a marvelous way. And so, as with Goliath we see the children of Jezebel, who do not want to be subject to the truth, punished with death. We recognize from the phraseology [of the text] itself that in her children the Lord signifies the woman’s posterity. For he threatened the mother with a temporal punishment that he might hand her over to eternal sorrows. However, he did not say, “I kill the children with the sword” but “I will slay them with death.” COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 2.23.

THE SINS OF FORNICATION AND IDOLATRY EXIST IN EVEN SMALL SINS. BEDE: Our works and our words may be made known to people, but what is their intention and what we wish to accomplish through them, only the Lord knows who sees what anyone thinks and in what he takes pleasure. And for what purpose is he who punishes fornication and idolatry, which are manifest sins, said to be one who knows hidden secrets, unless these sins are contained even in the least of transgressions? “You will destroy,” he says, “all who commit fornication from you.” And when he was discussing about false brothers, the same apostle John, who had heard this, ended by saying, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” EXPLANATION OF THE APOCALYPSE 2.23.

2:24-25 | Hold Fast What You Have

GOD WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE SINNERS. TYCONIUS: To be sure, the Lord speaks to those who kept their minds from the doctrines of the devil, lest they turn from the dogma of the truth of the church. For they were taught that they should follow no man but rather the truth of the faith, for the Lord said to those who had left the faith, “I never knew you, you evildoers.” For just as those who do iniquity do not know God, although they speak of him, so also God does not acknowledge the workers of iniquity, although he knows them all. In this way, the righteous do not know the teaching of Satan, although they might hear it and feel the attraction of his temptations. And so it can happen that the righteous do not hear evil things from which they abstain by righteous living, since it is written, “There must be heresies so that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.” And again, “Should they say to you, Lo, Christ is in the inner rooms, do not believe it.” COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 2.24.

CHRIST EXHORTS THE SIMPLE TO FAITHFULNESS. ANDREW OF CAESAREA: To the more simple, the Lord says, “Since on account of your simplicity you are not able to withstand those who are evil and have a facility with words,” namely, that you do not know “the deep things of Satan,” as you call it, I will not expect from you any war through words, but only that you preserve the teaching which you received until I remove you from there. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 2.24-25.

2:26-27 | Ruling with a Rod of Iron

THE CHURCH POSSESSES WHAT THE SON OF MAN RECEIVED. TYCONIUS: The church has this power in Christ. Whoever holds fast to his body will be co-heir with the Lord and will have whatever the Son of man received, for “he has given us all things with him.” COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 2.26-27.

THE SAINTS WILL JUDGE THE FALLEN ANGELS. APRINGIUS OF BEJA: God promises that he will give to him power over the nations and kingdoms, so that he might reign over them with an iron rod and destroy them as though they were a clay pot. He refers to the apostate angels who abandoned their own dominion, for they are going to be judged by the saints on the day of judgment and damned and thrown into eternal destruction, as the apostle says. TRACTATE ON THE APOCALYPSE 2.26-27.

THE BELIEVERS WILL JUDGE THE UNFAITHFUL. ANDREW OF CAESAREA: “To him who does my works,” the Lord says, “I will give authority over five or ten cities,” as he said in the Gospel. Or, this passage refers to the judgment of the unfaithful, through which the deceived will be crushed, as though beaten with a rod of iron, and will be judged by those who have believed in Christ. “The men of Nineveh will rise and condemn this generation.” The words “as I myself received from the Father” refer to his human nature, which he assumed through the flesh. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 2.26-27.

2:28 | The Morning Star

THE COMING OF CHRIST SCATTERS THE DARKNESS OF ERROR. TYCONIUS: It is appropriate that we understand the morning star to represent both Christ and the first resurrection, because his appearance scatters the darkness of error and the worldly shadows of the night are put to flight by the approaching resurrection. For, as this star brings an end to the night, so also does it mark the beginning of the day. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 2.28.

JESUS CHRIST IS ETERNAL LIGHT. APRINGIUS OF BEJA: “And I will give him the morning star,” that is, the Lord Jesus Christ, whom evening never overtakes, but who is eternal light, and who is himself always in light. Or, another interpretation: He promises the morning star, namely, the first resurrection; [the resurrection is] the morning star which causes night to flee and announces the light. TRACTATE ON THE APOCALYPSE 2.28.

SATAN WILL FALL INTO SUBJECTION TO THE SAINTS. OECUMENIUS: “And I will give him the morning star.” It speaks of the Assyrian, namely, of Satan, of whom the prophet speaks, saying, “How has the Day Star, he who rises in the morning, fallen from heaven.” And even now the Lord calls him the “Morning Star.” And so, he says, I will make Satan to be subject to my servants. The apostle also made a similar statement: “God will trample Satan quickly under your feet.” And in another place it says, “You will tread upon the lion and the asp, and you will trample upon the lion and the serpent.” COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 2.18-29.

CHRIST IS THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. ANDREW OF CAESAREA: By morning star he means either that one of whom Isaiah spoke: “How have you fallen from heaven, O Day Star, O Morning Star?” and of whom it is promised that he will be “crushed under the feet of the saints,” or the Lord means that one of whom the blessed Peter speaks, of the “morning star who rises in the hearts of the faithful,” clearly meaning the illumination of Christ. Both John the Baptist and Elijah the Tishbite were called light bringers. For the one foretold of the first rising of the “sun of righteousness,” and the other is known as the forerunner of the second [rising]. And after these, we believe that those who have conquered the devil will receive their inheritance. Nor is it surprising that we should interpret this in so opposite a fashion. For we learn from the Holy Scriptures that the “lion” from Judah is Christ, while the “lion” from Bashan is the antichrist, the same image signifying both. And so is noted the rising of the coming day, in which the darkness of the present life will be hidden, and the angel proclaims this. For this precedes the “sun of righteousness” which will shine upon the saints and dispel the gloom of the present life, by whose rays may also we be made bright, by the good pleasure of the Father with the all-holy Spirit, to whom be glory forever. Amen. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 2.28-29.