Abhorring The "Deep Things Of Satan"

About 40 miles southeast of Bergama (Pergamum) is the thriving Turkish town of Akhisar. Some 1,900 years ago, this town was the site of Thyatira. A traveling overseer could readily reach. Thyatira by an inland read from Pergamum and then move in a circuit to the remaining congregations of Reveolation chapter 3 -Sardis, Philadelphia,and Laodicea. Unlike Pergamum, Thyatira does not seem to have been an important center of emperor worship, but it did have shrines and temples dedicated to pagan gods. Thyatira was noteworthy as a commercial trading center.

When Paul was preaching in Macedonia, he met up with a Thyatiran woman named Lydia, a seller of purple. Lydia and all her household gladly accepted the message Paul was preaching and showed extraordinary hospitality. (Acts 16:14, 15) She became the first Thyatiran on record to accept Christianity. In course of time, the city itself cam to have a congregation of Christians. Jesus directs his longest message there: " And to the angel of the congregation in Thyatira write: These are the things that the Son of God says, he who has his eyes like a fiery flame, and his feet are like fine copper." - Revelation 2:18.

This is the only time the expression "Son of God" appears in Revelation, although in other places Jesus does refer to Jehovah as "my Father." (Revelation 2:27; 3:5, 21) The use of the title here likely reminds the Thyatiran Christians of Jesus' intimacy with Jehovah. This Son "has his eyes like a fiery flame" - a warning to the Christians in Thyatira that his judgment will blaze against anything that he sees to be defiling in the congregation. By referring for a second time to his glowing, copper like feet, he emphasizes his own shining example of faithfulness while walking this earth. the Christians in Thyatira no doubt heeded his counsel, and so must we today!- 1Peter 2:21.

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