THE CHURCH IN THYATIRA - WHEN HOLINESS AND TOLERANCE COLLIDE (2 OF 3)
by Tim Melton
Scripture: Revelation 2:18-29
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The Church in Thyatira - When Holiness and Tolerance Collide (2 of 3)
Series: Revelation
Tim Melton
Revelation 2:18-29
The city was called Thyatira. It was on a major trade route in Asia Minor, which is now the modern country of Turkey. It stood between the cities of Pergamum and Sardis, where the modern city of Akhisar is now located.
While having various temples to pagan gods it was not known as a center for Greek or Roman Emperor worship. Because of this there was not direct persecution related to religious worship. This would have been very different from the Christians in Smyrna who were being persecuted because they refused to burn incense to the emperor and refused to proclaim, ''Caesar is Lord!'' In Thyatira Satan sought to use a different strategy, a more passive approach, to destroy the unsuspecting church.
Thyatira was famous for its purple dye. The Madder root was readily available around Thyatira. For centuries it had been used to dye cotton, silk, wool, leather and other textiles. It was also used with coloring pottery. It was a purple dye that mimicked the extremely rare and expensive purple dye that in the past had only been worn by royalty. Lydia, the seller of purple, in Acts 16:14, came from Thyatira.
Because of the Madder root and its purple dye, Thyatira had become a great exporter of purple cloth. Through the years this had attracted many master dyers to the city. Eventually many guilds had been started to support the many trades and artisans. They included wool-workers, potters, leather workers, bronze-workers, as well as many others. These guilds were a major part of the strong economy in Thyatira. If one wanted to do well economically in Thyatira they needed to be connected to a guild. Here was the problem.
Many of the guild social events would include meals that were at times held in temples of pagan gods, and even if not, they usually began and ended with a sacrifice to the gods. Often times the meat that was served ...
Series: Revelation
Tim Melton
Revelation 2:18-29
The city was called Thyatira. It was on a major trade route in Asia Minor, which is now the modern country of Turkey. It stood between the cities of Pergamum and Sardis, where the modern city of Akhisar is now located.
While having various temples to pagan gods it was not known as a center for Greek or Roman Emperor worship. Because of this there was not direct persecution related to religious worship. This would have been very different from the Christians in Smyrna who were being persecuted because they refused to burn incense to the emperor and refused to proclaim, ''Caesar is Lord!'' In Thyatira Satan sought to use a different strategy, a more passive approach, to destroy the unsuspecting church.
Thyatira was famous for its purple dye. The Madder root was readily available around Thyatira. For centuries it had been used to dye cotton, silk, wool, leather and other textiles. It was also used with coloring pottery. It was a purple dye that mimicked the extremely rare and expensive purple dye that in the past had only been worn by royalty. Lydia, the seller of purple, in Acts 16:14, came from Thyatira.
Because of the Madder root and its purple dye, Thyatira had become a great exporter of purple cloth. Through the years this had attracted many master dyers to the city. Eventually many guilds had been started to support the many trades and artisans. They included wool-workers, potters, leather workers, bronze-workers, as well as many others. These guilds were a major part of the strong economy in Thyatira. If one wanted to do well economically in Thyatira they needed to be connected to a guild. Here was the problem.
Many of the guild social events would include meals that were at times held in temples of pagan gods, and even if not, they usually began and ended with a sacrifice to the gods. Often times the meat that was served ...
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