Dr. Missler begins each week of study with a fairly detailed
overview of what we’ve already studied.
Don’t be discouraged by this. You
may actually pick up on something that he’s repeated over and over that you’ve
missed each time previously.
Today, Thyatira is known as Akhisar. It is a small, unattractive town of 30,000
people. Back in Biblical times, Thyatira
was an important military city. I won’t
give you a complete history. Suffice it
to say that the name Thyatira is derived from the Greek word for daughter. And previously, it had been known by other
names including Semiramis. That name
should be familiar. Semiramis was
Nimrod’s consort. The city having that
name shows its Babylonian origins.
This letter contains the only mention of Jesus as the Son of
God in the book of Revelation. His title
speaks of Him in His capacity as powerful authority and judge. He commends them for their works and says
they’re even improving in this area. His
concern is that this church didn’t stand up against this woman (Jezebel) who
led them into idolatry.
What pagan practices are you personally engaging in that you
should stop? Many traditions that we
observe today have their roots in pagan Babylonian culture. This conclusion is arrived at by studying the
Babylonians and the struggles of the papacy.
One fascinating thing I heard was that the title of the high priest of
the Babylonian religion was Pontifex Maximus.
Sounds Latin to me, but I’m not familiar with the Babylonian
language. Take a few minutes to study
that.
During my study of the title, I learned that the Pontifex
Maximus was the head of the Roman pagan religion. Roman emperors (including Julius Ceasar) held
the title. The Pope is also referred to
as the Pontifex Maximus. A literal
translation of the title is “the greatest bridge builder”. This gives me chills as I wonder if the
antichrist will hold this title.
I learned recently from another study that some scholars
believe there is a correlation between the seven kingdom parables of Matthew 13
and the letters to the churches of Revelation.
The church of Thyatira corresponds to the parable of the woman and the
leaven in Matthew 13:33.
Homework for next time:
Read chapters 2 & 3. Outline
the letter to Sardis. What is their
primary need? What are the distinctives
of this letter?
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