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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 except to hold on to what you have until I come.’ 26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ~ Revelation 2:24-29
We come back to the fourth message from the Lord Jesus to the fourth of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3. As we pointed out in our last message, the church at Thyatira was the most corrupt of the seven churches. And, consequently, this is the longest of the seven messages, even though it was written to the smallest of the seven churches.
In v.24 we read, "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."
The phrase "Satan’s so-called deep secrets" reveals that some of the believers in the church at Thyatira were not only intrigued with satanic secrets, but they had, to some degree, given themselves to the so-called satanic secrets. These secrets were Satan's imitation of the deep truths found only in the Word of God. To those who weren’t defined by Satan and his false teaching, the Lord did not correct them.
In v.25 we read, "except to hold on to what you have until I come."
For those who were being defined by the Lord Jesus, He told them to maintain a grasp on the truth because the blast of hell that was about to come upon those who were entertaining the teachings of Satan was going to be severe. The solidity of truth will always keep us afloat in this world of torrential waters. This is why we must be in His word daily. And, as a result, the discernment that we gain from His word keeps us from embracing the false.
In v.26-27 we read, "26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father."
He who is victorious is the one who is in personal relationship with God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The victorious One is the Lord Jesus and He has given to each believer the perseverance of His faith. We persevere in our faith because of His faithfulness to overcome sin and death. This is not saying that we earn our salvation, this is saying that we keep going in our faith in the Lord Jesus because He overcame on our behalf.
To those who endure, the Lord Jesus will give authority over the nations. This means we will reign with Christ in His earthly millennial kingdom which will last for one thousand years on the earth. His millennial kingdom will happen after the seventieth seven of Daniel 9:27 or as some wrongly call it, "the Tribulation."
According to v.27, those who resist Christ's kingdom, will experience His rod of iron. All shepherds have a wooden rod, but the rod that the Lord Jesus will use on the rebellious during the Millennium will be made of iron. At that time, the Lord Jesus will be forced to deal with the rebellious ones like clay pots, and believers will rule with Him, successfully advancing and protecting His Kingdom.
In v.28-29 we read, "28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
The morning star is a reference to Daniel 12:3, “They that lead many to righteousness shall shine as the stars forever.” Before the sun rises, the morning star appears. In Revelation 22:16, the Lord Jesus says of Himself: "I am the bright and morning star." This means there will be an appearing of the Lord Jesus for His own before His second coming. This is a promise of the rapture of the church, the first such promise in the book of Revelation. He will "snatch up" His own who have been kept by the Spirit of God from the evils of the society around.
This message to the church at Thyatira ends with, "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches." This means all Revelation is inspired by the Holy Spirit, and God's word. True faith will continue on beyond the end.
In Psalm 2:7-12 we read, "7 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. 8 Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.” 10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. 12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him."
The context here is the Millennium, and believers in the Lord Jesus are going to be in that Kingdom, ruling with Christ. This is all made possible by the Lord Jesus who gave His life to be our ransom. I trust you have been wise, my friend. I trust you have kissed the Son unto salvation. If you have, you will reign with Christ in His millennial kingdom.
