Repentance in Revelation 2:

Repentance in Revelation 2:21-22

18     And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;

19     I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.

20     Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

21     And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.

22     Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

23     And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

24     But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.

25     But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.

Subjects Called to Repentance:  A woman "Jezebel" (vs. 20, 21), and they which commit adultery with her (vs. 22).  The name "Jezebel" appears to be a poetic reference to the Jezebel" of the Old Testament.  However, the specific accusation that she "calls herself a prophetess" is fairly concrete, and does not appear to lend itself well to a poetic accusation of a group of movement afoot in the church of Thyatira.  Although the identity of "Jezebel" is debated, there are reasons to believe that it is a literal woman.  They that commit adultery with her are members of the church of Thyatira, but not the entire church.

Object of Repentance:                  She is called to repent of "her fornication," and "they which commit adultery with her" are called to repent of their "deeds."  Within Scripture, fornication and adultery are frequent metaphors for unfaithfulness to God.  Whether this is a metaphor, or refers to literal fornication is in view, is uncertain.  The fact that she calls herself a "prophetess" suggests that she pretends to speak some special revelation from God.  Form earliest times until now, cult leaders using their status as a "prophet" to claim sexual privileges otherwise prohibited in the Bible.  So it is possible that :Jezebel" claimed prophetic revelation granting special license for sexual activity.  False prophets also use their imagined status to introduce new doctrines into the church, such as Mohomud (the founder of Islam), who claimed to be a prophet of God, or Joe Smith, the founder of the Morman religion, who claimed special revelation from God.  Although  doctrinal infidelity is possible in the above passage, members of the church who have been lead astray by Jezebel are called to repent of "their deeds," not their "error," nor their departure from the faith.  Although doctrinal apostasy must be considered a real possibility, it appears that a claim of sexual license may well be in view.

Consequence of lack of repentance:    She will be cast into a bed, and those that commit adultery with her into tribulation.  They will be judged according to their works.  Again, the image is one of temporal judgment, shame at the judgment seat, not eternal condemnation.  There is nothing in the language that suggests the salvation of the subjects is in question, or in danger.

Repentance in Revelation 2:21-22