Revelation 2:20
But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse highlights that "tolerating" this false prophetess is the primary offense, not necessarily that the church actively supported her. Christ's complaint is that they allowed her influence to spread, enabling her to teach and seduce, failing to confront the danger she represented.
The church at Thyatira is praised for its love, faith, and service, but Christ reveals a serious issue: they are tolerating a divisive influence, symbolized by the name Jezebel. This figure, claiming prophetic authority, is actively teaching and leading believers into practices condemned by God, specifically sexual immorality and the consumption of food sacrificed to idols. This allowance of corrupt teaching and practice is what Christ finds fault with in the church's leadership.
In Thyatira, there was a leader who was 'suffering' a dangerous influence within the church. What does it mean for a community to 'tolerate' evil, and why is it so serious?
The church in Thyatira was praised for its love, faith, and service, but Christ had a serious charge against them: they were 'tolerating' a woman named Jezebel, who was leading God's people astray. This isn't about passively disagreeing; 'suffering' or 'tolerating' here means allowing or permitting this false teaching to continue unchecked. It's a failure to act, a silence that enables corruption.
This woman, identifying herself as a prophetess, was actively teaching and seducing believers. The core of her deception was leading them into two key areas:
Christ's word to the church shows that allowing sin and false doctrine to fester, even if it's not directly participating, is a grave offense. It harms the people of God and dishonors Him.
Why did Christ call this influential woman 'Jezebel'? What does this ancient name reveal about her deceptive tactics and the threat she posed?
The name 'Jezebel' was not likely her given name but a symbolic label Christ used, drawing a direct parallel to the infamous Queen Jezebel from the Old Testament (1 Kings 16:31-33). The original Jezebel was a foreign princess who married King Ahab of Israel. She was known for:
Understand the original words
aphiēmi · Greek Verb
The practice of yielding to or failing to exercise church discipline against false teaching or unrepentant sin, compromising the purity and testimony of the local congregation.
prophētis · Greek Noun
Refers to someone claiming to speak on behalf of God, but whose message contradicts established biblical truth; biblically, it serves as a warning against those who lead the people of God into spiritual or moral compromise.
porneia · Greek Noun
Greek term 'porneia', encompassing any sexual activity outside of the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman; in a biblical context, it often serves as a metaphor for spiritual infidelity or idolatry.
eidōlothyton · Greek Adjective/Noun
The name 'Jezebel' is used symbolically in Revelation to evoke the memory of the infamous queen who led Israel into idolatry and persecution. This ancient parallel highlights the severity of the false teachings and immoral practices tolerated in the Thyatira church, linking them to a destructive, anti-God agenda that threatened the early Christian community.
c. 874-853 BC
Jezebel's Reign in Israel
Jezebel, daughter of the king of Sidon, marries King Ahab of Israel. She aggressively promotes the worship of the Phoenician gods Baal and Asherah, persecuting and killing prophets of Yahweh and establishing Baal worship throughout the northern kingdom.
c. 842 BC
Judgment on Ahab's House
Following the reigns of Ahab and Jezebel, God's judgment falls upon their dynasty. King Jehu, by divine command, executes judgment on Jezebel and her descendants, ending their corrupt influence.
1st Century AD
Early Church Period
The Apostle Paul and other early church leaders establish numerous churches throughout the Roman Empire, including in Asia Minor where Thyatira is located. These churches face various internal and external pressures.
c. AD 90-95— this verse
Revelation Written
This passage directly references the original Jezebel, highlighting her role in leading Israel into idolatry and opposing God's prophets, mirroring the corruption Jesus condemns in Thyatira.
2 Kings 9:22This verse describes Jezebel's wickedness and the consequences she faced, serving as a powerful archetype for the destructive influence of false teaching and immorality that Jesus is addressing.
Jude 1:4Jude warns against godless people who pervert grace into sensuality and deny Christ, a spiritual parallel to the 'Jezebel' figure seducing God's servants into sexual immorality and idolatry.
1 Corinthians 8:10This passage deals with the issue of eating food sacrificed to idols, a practice condemned in Revelation 2:20, showing the early church's struggle with compromising with pagan culture.
1 Corinthians 10:14Paul urges believers to flee from idolatry, reinforcing the spiritual danger of participating in idol feasts and the compromising practices that 'Jezebel' was promoting in Thyatira.
ellicottRevelation 2:20: "Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols."
(20) A few things. —The Sinaitic MS. has “I have much against thee; but the reading, I have against thee that thou lettest alone, &c., is to be preferred. Jezebel.—Some adopt the reading, “thy wife Jezebel.” From these words it has been thought that th…
gillRevelation 2:20: "Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols."
Notwithstanding, I have a few things against thee,.... By way of complaint; so the Arabic version renders it, "I have a certain complaint against thee". The impartiality of Christ may be observed in taking notice of the bad deeds, as well as of the goo…
The verse highlights that "tolerating" this false prophetess is the primary offense, not necessarily that the church actively supported her. Christ's complaint is that they allowed her influence to spread, enabling her to teach and seduce, failing to confront the danger she represented.
The church at Thyatira is praised for its love, faith, and service, but Christ reveals a serious issue: they are tolerating a divisive influence, symbolized by the name Jezebel. This figure, claiming prophetic authority, is actively teaching and leading believers into practices condemned by God, specifically sexual immorality and the consumption of food sacrificed to idols. This allowance of corrupt teaching and practice is what Christ finds fault with in the church's leadership.
The church at Thyatira is praised for its love, faith, and service, but Christ reveals a serious issue: they are tolerating a divisive influence, symbolized by the name Jezebel. This figure, claiming prophetic authority, is actively teaching and leading believers into practices condemned by God, specifically sexual immorality and the consumption of food sacrificed to idols. This allowance of corrupt teaching and practice is what Christ finds fault with in the church's leadership.
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By calling the Thyatiran false prophetess 'Jezebel,' Christ signaled that she was a spiritual descendant of this wicked queen. She was using her supposed prophetic authority ('calls herself a prophetess') to spread the same kind of poison: encouraging sexual sin and participation in pagan idolatry. This connection makes the threat clear: it was not just a minor doctrinal error, but a deep, destructive apostasy that threatened to devour the church's identity and purity.
The Jezebel in Thyatira wasn't just teaching 'wrong' things; she was seducing God's servants into practices that seemed harmless to some. What was the real danger lurking beneath the surface?
The core issue in Thyatira was compromise. Jezebel taught that practicing sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols were acceptable for Christians. Some scholars suggest this was framed as understanding the 'deep things' of God or exercising Christian liberty, a way to appear knowledgeable and free from strict 'legalism'.
However, Christ referred to these teachings as the 'deep things of Satan' (Revelation 2:24). This reveals a crucial theological point:
The church's failure was in not recognizing that these seemingly minor compromises were, in fact, a descent into Satan's deceptive strategies, leading God's own 'servants' away from Him.
The act of revering or worshiping any created thing, person, or object in the place of the one true God; it is considered a violation of the primary commandment and a breach of the covenant relationship with God.
The Book of Revelation is written by the Apostle John, likely during his exile on the island of Patmos under Roman persecution. The letters to the seven churches in Asia Minor are addressed to specific, real congregations.
"But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols." — The verse highlights that "tolerating" this false prophetess is the primary offense, not necessarily that the church actively supported her. Christ's complaint is that they allowed her influence…
