Revelation 2:22-23 22Behold, I will throw her onto a stretcher, and those who commit adultery with her, into great affliction, unless they repent of her works, 23and I will kill her children in death. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your works.
The seriousness of the situation in Thyatira becomes clear with this verse as Jesus warns those who do not repent from their involvement, support, or indifference to sexual immorality and idolatry. Two terrible things could happen to them. First, the image of being thrown onto a stretcher indicates the sickness of this church. The use of the word affliction (thlipsin) implies that the stretcher is a portable gurney used to carry someone with a serious illness or great suffering. This church was about to die spiritually, and so Jesus would have it carted off, possibly to be prepared for burial. However, they had a choice. They could repent and be taken to a hospital to receive healing.
The second bad thing is that Jezebel’s children would die. This image could be literal, referring to the actual children of the influential lady named Jezebel, but more likely, it is figurative and symbolic for those who follow the practices of sexual immorality and idolatry. These would be spiritual descendants who were influenced by the false teaching and sinful influence that had infiltrated the church. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), and those who follow these two practices would experience the same outcome.
Both outcomes would lead to the loss of divine blessing and presence, represented in the word death. How to interpret this word in this context is difficult to determine. It could represent physical death, which is unlikely but possible since some people in the Bible did suffer death because of their sin, or it could be more symbolic for the end of the existence of the church, or it could refer to eternal death in the Lake of Fire. Jesus’ judgment upon them would be a warning to other churches. Sin must be taken seriously for our lifetime now or for our eternal destiny.
These verses should cause us to look deeply within ourselves and respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Luke 5:22 records, “Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, ‘Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?’” Sin has consequences not just for us, but for those we love, especially our children. Exodus 34:7 says, “Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” We can become blinded by our culture or struggle against the pull of the flesh. We are not left alone, however. God will provide a way out if we are willing to look and seek God’s help (see 1 Corinthians 10:13). There is hope, but we must take sin seriously.