Thyatira, the smallest of the seven cities but one that receives the longest of the seven messages. It was about forty miles southeast of Pergamum

Pagan worship was associated with trade guilds in that each guild had its guardian god. Guild members were expected to attend the guild festivals and to eat food, part of which had been offered to the tutelary deity and which was acknowledged as being on the table as a gift from the god. At the end of the feast grossly immoral activities would commence. To exit at the time of such activity would lay a person open to ridicule and other kinds of persecution, a situation well reflected in the message to the church in this city. The moral issue of whether Christians were justified in participation in such common meals with their associated activities was a major one for this church (Charles)

The defects of the local church were related to those at Pergamum, but were far worse. Not only did the Christians lack zeal for godly discipline and correct doctrine; they also obliged those who erred in these ways and condoned their errors. Falsehood and idolatry permeated almost the whole church.

According to tradition, the church here ceased to exist at the end of the second century, having become a center of Montanism before dying (Charles). No record of a great achievement by this church has been preserved.

A reiteration of His deity is necessitated by the seriousness of this church’s diversion from the true worship of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Walvoord)

In these messages the Lord constantly views works as a mirror of the character of the churches

to leave it to someone to do something, with the implication of distancing oneself from the event—‘to let, to allow, to leave it to.’

Their guilt was greater than that of their neighbors in Pergamum because apheis implies a tolerance of evil that is not suggested by the ἔχεις (echeis, “you have”) of 2:14. Even more conspicuous is the disparity between their attitude toward the Nicolaitans and that in Ephesus. The Ephesians hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans, yet the Thyatirans not only had the problem among them, but also permitted it to remain (Swete).

Most early manuscripts have “godliness to be a means of gain.” One early manuscript and later witnesses related to it have “godliness to be a means of gain. From such [people], withdraw yourself.”

This view usually accompanies a preference for the reading that includes the genitive of the second person pronoun following gynaika, yielding the translation “your wife” (Alford). This reading is probably not correct, however.

Thyatira allowed the Nicolaitans the position of being a teaching sect with the power to persecute, just as Ahab allowed Jezebel to teach and persecute (Lee).

this interpretation lacks persuasiveness because in vv. 22–23 Jezebel is distinguished from her followers (Beckwith). For a woman to be so used figuratively is unparalleled. Furthermore, the context of the message furnishes no hint of such symbolic language.

In the first-century church a prophet was an inspired messenger of God who ranked high, just behind the apostles, in the capability of edifying the church (cf. 1 Cor. 12:28).

In her own eyes, Jezebel’s alleged special revelations from God qualified her as an authoritative teacher in the church. Some others agreed and she became a recognized leader, the critical problem being that she was leading people astray.