“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. But….
Revelation 2:19 (NLT)
As is true of each of the letters to the seven churches, this one begins with a positive note of encouragement followed by a “but”. Apparently the church of Thyatira had a false teacher claiming to have access to “deeper truths” of God, which Jesus attributes to Satan. In this case it would seem there had been some attempt to exhort this teacher to turn away from her false teaching, but she repeatedly refused. (v. 21) As a result of her refusal the letter warns of serious consequences to her and any who choose to follow in her evil deeds. Verse 23 includes the phrase “And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve”.
While there may be some reading this who may take comfort in hearing Jesus say that you will be receiving what you deserve, I personally would find that statement terrifying! The reason I would be terrified is because of what the Bible clearly communicates about the character of God.
The Bible describes God as perfectly loving AND perfectly just. It tells us that God loved us so much that He, in the form of Jesus Christ willingly chose to accept the punishment we deserve as he died on the cross, (essentially God taking the punishment we earned by our rebellion upon himself). The reason God did this is because He is also perfectly just and His justice cannot leave our sin unpunished, while His love for us motivates Him not to give us the punishment we deserve. It is for this reason that I find the words of Jesus saying “I will give each of you what you deserve” a little terrifying, because I understand that what I deserve is to be eternally banned from God’s presence in a place Jesus eerily describes as “outer darkness, and a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth”.
The good news is – we don’t have to get what we deserve! At the end of this letter to the church in Thyatira Jesus has instruction and a promise for those who remained faithful to the truth.
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!
Revelation 2:26-28
For those who accept that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He has paid the penalty for sin, and who walk in obedience to Him, there is no need to be afraid of receiving “what we deserve”. By the love and grace of God we can look forward to receiving what we do NOT deserve. For those who follow Jesus and choose to belong to His Kingdom, we can begin to enjoy the fellowship of a restored relationship with God both now and for all eternity. “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches” (v. 29).