THYATIRA CHURCH - CATHOLICISM AT ITS HEIGHT

The Thyatira Church: The Period of Catholicism at Its Height

2:18-29                500-1400 A.D.

The Destination of This Letter

"And unto the angel of the church of Thyatira."

The Immediate Destination
"Unto the angel."

A supernatural spirit being whom God has appointed as the custodian of the church (Heb. 1:7, 14). This one can be trusted to convey the message to its intended destination. And he is able to accomplish the task (Psa. 103:20).
"And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire." "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?"
"Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word."

The Intermediate Destination "Of the church."

Pastor taking oversight of the congregation. Officers who join him: teachers, deacons, etc. People who belong to the congregation. These bear the message to the city.

The Ultimate Destination

"Of Thyatira" or "In Thyatira."

Some 40 miles southeast of Pergamum lay Thyatira, a Lydian city on the borders of Mysia and sometimes claimed by the latter. It was founded by the Seleucidae, but since 190 B.C. it had been in the hands of the Romans and was included in the province of Asia. Though not the equal of Ephesus, Smyrna, or Pergamum, it was a thriving center of trade.

It was renowned for the number of its guilds. (Lydia, Acts 16:44ff. was a member.) There were temples to Apollo and Artemis, and near a shrine to Sambathe, an oriental Sibyl. But Thyatira had no temple dedicated to the Emperor.

The church in this city was probably small, even so in relation to the population. The Alogi declared that there was no church there at the close of the second century. At a later date this city was a stronghold of Montanism.

Today this city is the scene of poverty, with narrow, dirty streets and squalid houses, many made of mud.

No one knows how this church was established, unless as a direct result of the ministry of Paul in Ephesus. Or perhaps Lydia, the seller of Purple.