Revelation 2:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: “‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.

NIV: I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.

NASB: ‘I know your deeds, and your love and faith, and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first.

CSB: I know your works--your love, faithfulness, service, and endurance. I know that your last works are greater than the first.

NLT: 'I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: “I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first.

In this verse Jesus commends the believers at Thyatira for good works, love, faith, service, and patient endurance. The believers produced good works that were evidence of their salvation by grace (Ephesians 2:8–10). Also, they evidenced love, the quality said to be lacking in the church at Ephesus (Revelation 2:4). While many residents of Thyatira worshiped the sun god, the faith of believers at Thyatira was in the Son of God.

Furthermore, they engaged in service. The word "service" comes from the same Greek word translated into the term deacon. It suggests relief work. Apparently the church reached out compassionately with assistance to the poor. In Thyatira, if a person did not belong to a trade union, he found it difficult to provide for his family. Fortunately, the church was there to help the needy.

The church also exhibited patience in the face of difficult circumstances. Persecution must have been strong in idolatrous Thyatira, where trade unions held banquets at which their members ate food dedicated to idols. Refusal to participate would undoubtedly mark Christians for persecution, not to mention hindering their businesses. Nevertheless, the church was progressing spiritually at an unprecedented rate.

Revelation 2:18–29 reveals what Jesus instructed John to write to the church at Thyatira. Although the church exhibited commendable virtues, it allowed an evil woman—here referred to as Jezebel—to lead its members into immorality and idolatry. Jesus predicted strict punishment for her and her followers. The churches would know by Jesus' action that He searches the mind and heart and deals with everyone according to his or her works. Those who did not follow Jezebel's teachings would not be punished, but Jesus encouraged them to stay loyal to Him until His return, when He will rule the nations and permit the faithful to rule with Him.

The contents of Revelation 2 are miniature letters to four churches, dictated by Jesus to John. Ephesus and Smyrna were coastal cities, whereas Pergamum and Thyatira were inland cities. Three more such letters are in Revelation 3. Each of these messages contains a unique description of Jesus, a command, a promise. All but one—the church in Laodicea—receive some commendation. All but two of the seven letters—those to the churches in Smyrna and Philadelphia—also contain a critical rebuke. Like churches today, most of the congregations addressed by Jesus had both good characteristics and at least one point which needed correction.

In chapter 1, John introduced his order from Jesus Christ: to write out a message to seven churches in Asia (Revelation 1:9–11). Here in this chapter, John writes to the church in Ephesus, the church in Smyrna, the church in Pergamum, and the church in Thyatira. Chapter 3 will continue with messages to the other three churches. The rest of Revelation will explain future events connected to the ''end times.''

The word ''revelation'' means ''an unveiling or disclosure.'' This writing unveils future events such as the rapture, three series of judgments that will fall on the earth during the tribulation, the emergence of the Antichrist, the persecution of Israel and her amazing revival, as well as Jesus' second coming with His saints to the earth, the judgment of Satan and his followers, and finally, the eternal state. This content, combined with the original Greek term apokalypsis, is why we now refer to an end-of-the-world scenario as ''an apocalypse.''