Bible Gem 2204 – The Message for the Rest: The Hidden Message in Clay Pots (Rev 2:24-29)

“But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come. To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations. They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots. They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!

Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”

Revelation 2:24-29

I am sure you noticed the split between those under judgement and the warning to the others. Effectively that is what the message to the Church in Thyatira was all about: a strong message to the rest of you, including me. Does this make any sense to you? Are you tracking with me or is this opening comment a bit of a mystery to you? As I wrote at the beginning of the comments on Thyatira, it is interesting that the most insignificant of the seven churches received the longest letter with perhaps the sternest warning of all the seven churches. You know now, this church is the one which allowed the seeds of their destruction to remain in their midst. It is that warning which holds centre place for this church and for us all. If we allow the seeds of our own destruction to remain then ultimately it will destroy us from within and prevent us from entering our eternal rest. Harsh words but true. It is likely to be the reason for the inclusion of the hidden message to this church which I hinted at in the title of this Gem.

I explained in the last Gem that the Church in Thyatira allowed the woman spreading false teaching to keep doing it instead of ostracising her. By not removing her it ensured her teaching would continue to bring the church down from within. Did you see the change at this point in the letter? “I have a message for the rest of you who have not followed this false teaching.” Simply put, that refers to all those who held tightly to Jesus’ teaching until He came. Well, the shock in that statement is that He hasn’t come yet; He who is coming in the sense of coming to judge has not yet come. We are still waiting for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

I am sure you are aware that these seven churches represent more than seven selected churches from the Roman Province of Asia at the end of the First Century AD. I will add more explanation to that comment when we reach the end of “the seven”. But the use of “seven” in Hebrew hints at more than just a number. Seven is the symbol of perfection or completeness. These seven churches are representative of all the churches beyond the circle of these seven at a particular point in time. I have made that comment before. Therefore, “the rest” who have not followed this false teaching are also representative of a group far beyond Thyatira, the smallest of the seven cities mentioned. Hold that thought; you who now live in the (2)1st Century are also included if you hold fast to the LORD’s teaching. This includes all who are victorious and who obey Christ to the very end. Are you seeing now the all encompassing nature of what is being said here? The reason why the introduction to this middle church is divided in the way that it is. Three churches – Thyatira – then three more churches. Thyatira is the church in the middle. According to Chiastic Structure the midpoint is the place where the emphasis is placed.

I haven’t seen this comment from anyone else. It is my own hunch that this layout and Thyatira being the middle church of the seven is a hint at chiasm. This middle church of the seven being an exemplar of more than just the smallest city of the seven chosen from Asia Minor. There’s more to the story as Prof Brown always said. ‘The rest’ includes us too. You too, my dear reader, are one of those who have not fallen for false teaching, if indeed you are holding tightly to the LORD’s teaching and obeying Him to the end. The overarching message of all letters to the seven churches is to hang in there and persevere to the end. My suggestion for you is to read all seven letters to the churches multiple times in one sitting and you will gain the overall thrust of all seven letters together. Remember these letters were to be read in each of the seven cities and beyond. All seven cities were the stepping off point to all points beyond. All churches were to hear the message to all seven churches.

I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person and I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.

Revelation 2:23

Hang in there people; make sure, irrespective of what this world may throw at you, don’t let it shake your faith in the One Who is more precious than anything and everything else. The One Who gave this Revelation to John for us.

Allow me to point out one more feature of the letter to Thyatira before I deal with the hidden message to this church. Have you noticed there is another subtle difference hidden in the layout of this particular middle message of the fourth church? The order of the standard refrain is different. I noticed it because I have coloured the repeat segments differently which made it stand out to me. There are two repeated elements at the end of the introduction to each of the recipient churches. Namely:

1. Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.
2. To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give . . .

That is the standard order for the letters to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. But for the letter to Thyatira the order is reversed.

1. To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give . . .
2. Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.

When I noticed that, it made me pay more attention to this letter to Thyatira where I noticed the longer length to the introduction to this church and the fact that this city was the least significant of the seven. I then put all the pieces together. But I am not claiming to have seen all the connectors yet. I am sure there is more to see. Which leads me to the hidden message which is hidden in the clay pots. Those of you familiar with Deeper Bible, already know there is a hidden message in clay pots in 2 Corinthians 4:7. No, I am not talking about that subtlety. Here in Revelation 2:27 lies another message, or alternative way of looking at this verse which is highly significant given the fact that Thyatira was not only famous for purple cloth and bronze ware but also for their pottery.

Commentators are divided over the meaning of “I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person and I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.” What does “I will strike her children dead” actually mean? Is the meaning of ‘her children’, children born to this woman as a result of her promiscuity? In other words children born to those she had a sexual relationship with? Or are her children the ones who followed into idol worship and sexual sin. In other words her followers or those who acted in accord with her teachings and her example. I.e. in parallel with:

For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does.

John 8:44

Take note of the subtlety of the pronoun changes in this passage as well. Notice the progression of

Unless they repent of her ways

I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

Christ’s words to the church in Pergamum contain a similar interesting element in verse 2:16 with “Repent or I will come to you and fight against them.”

The next line which throws commentators into a tail spin is the quote from Psalm 2:8-9 taken from the Septuagint in verse 2:27.

They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.

Revelation 2:27

This verse also has sparked much discussion. What is being referred to here? Is this a reference to the notion of ruling with an iron fist? Will we rule with the power, might and authority of Christ or is something else being said? It just seems a little incongruous, which has sparked much discussion among the experts.

I would like to offer an alternative explanation which struck a chord with me when I first thought of pottery in the context of the finest of pottery. Fine pottery actually is what we are talking about when it comes to that which came from Thyatira. That humble city was known for the finest of purple cloth and the exquisite quality of the bronze ware. But no less was the quality of pottery which also came from this city. Which reminded me of a story I heard related to Wedgewood pottery. It is said that Josiah Wedgewood would spend the day checking the quality of the pottery pieces produced by Wedgewood Potteries to ensure nothing but the finest pottery was sold under the name Wedgewood. In order to guard the name of “Wedgewood“, Josiah would smash a large percentage of the production line in order to ensure only the best of the best was sold under the name of Wedgewood. Dare I say, I suspect a similar thing may have been true of the pottery produced in Thyatira. Wouldn’t that parallel the comment made in Ephesians related to the bride of Christ, the Church? Or is the comment about smashing clay pots just a hard judgement saying? I think it could well be both.

He [Christ] did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.

Ephesians 5:27

Can you imagine Christ Jesus taking a similar approach to Josiah Wedgewood with those who name themselves Christian?

Ian

Two criminals on either side of Jesus, equally close to Jesus. One changed; the other did not. Christ gave the same choice to each and then said, I will repay you according to your deeds.

Ian

Jesus rose from the dead, and you can’t even get out of bed. C’mon get outta your bed.

Keith Green, lyrics of Asleep in the Light

We choose who we wish to align with, Christ or satan. We are either for Christ or against Him. There is no middle ground, neutrality in this spiritual battle is not an option.  

Ian