“That Woman Jezebel”
“I DO hold this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and misleads my slaves to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols.” (Revelation 2:20) So said Jesus to the Christian elders in Thyatira. The congregation was very active and had manifested love, faith, and endurance. But it had tolerated a corrupting Jezebel influence. Why? And could such a thing happen today?—Revelation 2:19.
Likely, no one in Thyatira was actually named Jezebel. Jesus used the name to remind us of historical Queen Jezebel, wife of King Ahab. That strong-minded woman thoroughly corrupted God’s people when she introduced immoral Baal worship into Israel, waging a determined campaign to stamp out pure worship.—1 Kings 16:31-33; 21:1-7.
The Jezebel in Thyatira—either one woman or a group of women—similarly encouraged immorality and idolatry among God’s people. Some in the congregation listened to her, since Jesus speaks of “her children,” likely her followers. (Revelation 2:22, 23) Her influence threatened to make the Thyatira congregation as corrupt as was Israel in Ahab’s day.
Why was the Jezebel of Thyatira so influential? Looking at the parallel with Jezebel of old, some have thought she was the wife of the leading elder in Thyatira. The Bible, however, does not say that. More likely, her strong personality and the fact that she claimed to be a prophetess gave her status in the congregation.
It has been suggested that the wrong practices she promoted had to do with trade guilds. According to Dr. W. M. Ramsay, “more trade-guilds are known in Thyatira than in any other Asian city.” Of these, The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible says: “Every such guild had its patron god, its feasts, its social occasions which could at times become immoral revels. ‘Jezebel’ may have argued that . . . these revels need not be condemned since every workman, to make a living, had to join a guild.” The Expositor’s Greek Testament agrees with this, suggesting that those following Jezebel “prided themselves on their enlightened liberalism.”
In fact, the teaching of Jezebel in Thyatira resembled “the teaching of Balaam” in Pergamum. (Revelation 2:14) The Pergamum congregation had endured much persecution, but some there were imitating Balaam of old in promoting fornication and idolatry. It has been suggested that in Pergamum, the Balaam influence encouraged compromise so as to avoid harsh persecution, while in Thyatira Jezebel encouraged compromise for economic reasons. Whatever the case, both teachings were death-dealing apostasy.
Could a Jezebel—or Balaam—influence exist today? Yes, indeed. Many leaders of Christendom imitate Jezebel in tolerating in their congregations active homosexuality, fornication, adultery, abortion, and similar things condemned by God. Even within the Christian congregation, a few individuals have promoted a “liberalizing” of true worship, encouraging Christians not to adhere strictly to Bible standards and even promoting immorality.
All who wish to please Jehovah should avoid such ideas, even if they are presented by individuals—men or women—with colorful or forceful personalities. This thinking is as deadly today as it was in the first century.—Revelation 2:22, 23.