Tolerating Jezebel

[18] “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. [19] I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
[20] Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. [21] I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. [22] So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. [23] I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. [24] Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): [25] Only hold on to what you have until I come.
[26] To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—
[27] ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter;
he will dash them to pieces like pottery’*—
just as I have received authority from my Father. [28] I will also give him the morning star. [29] He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Rev 2:18-29

These verses of Scripture are about the Church which has been corrupted to follow the world’s ways. This church was listening to a false teacher named Jezebel, whom they followed into sexual immorality. You can compare it to Christians today when we tolerate the teachings of the world that lead us into sexual immorality. The world tells us it’s ok to have sex outside of marriage. Do we believe the world or the Word? The world tells us that adultery is ok because it’s between two consenting adults. Do we believe the world or the Word? The world tells us that homosexuality is natural. Do we believe the world or the Word? None of these things are acceptable to God. (1 Cor 6:18, Ex 20:14, Heb. 13:4, Lev. 18:22, 20:13, Rom 1:26-27) It doesn’t matter what you or I think, what matters is what God thinks. God created sex, but it has boundaries. Those boundaries are between one man and one woman within marriage (Gen 2:24, 1 Cor 7:2-3). When we listen to the lies that tell us it’s ok to go against God’s Word or that we are being intolerant of other people when we stand up and show we trust what God says about sexual immorality to be true, we can very easily be targeted as unloving, intolerant bigots, or worse! What is wrong with standing up for the truths in God’s Word? We don’t have to do it in an ugly way, but we need to lovingly confront this behavior in fellow Christians – especially those we have a relationship with. We need to seek guidance from the Holy Spirit with much prayer and discernment. If the person isn’t a Christian, there’s no point in starting out telling them about their sexual immorality. Instead, they need to hear about Jesus and the love he has for them. They will be closed to hearing anything about sexual immorality until God prepares their heart to know and love Him first. You notice in Rev. 2:21 that Jesus gave Jezebel time to repent. But here’s the thing…once you’ve expressed God’s Word on the matter of sexual immorality to a fellow Christian, there’s no need to continue harping on it. Stand your ground and don’t change your convictions that follow God’s Word. Make sure you don’t put yourself in situations that will cause you to compromise your beliefs. But give them some space and time, and give God the opportunity to work on their heart as you pray for them. God wants us all to repent of our sins. When God sees repentance of our sins, He forgives us and cleanses us.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 Jn 1:9

Repentance from sin is our choice. God doesn’t ever make us choose to repent. It’s something we have to do of our own free will. In verse 22 above, Jezebel chose not to repent, and there were consequences for that. But for those who overcome the way of Jezebel and sexual immorality, we have the promise that one day we will reign with Christ! What a wonderful promise for those who overcome!


~Lisa


All Scripture References are from the New International Version.
@Copyright 2011 LVC Ministries, Inc.