2:20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.
Nevertheless, I have this against you:
tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.
There may or may not have been a real Jezebel in the Thyatira church. But the name clearly points to the one that the Jews knew about in the Old Testament. (1 Kings 16:31-33, 1 Kings 19:1-3, 1 Kings 21:1-16, 2 Kings 9:30-37).
The Old Testament Jezebel was difficult on King Ahab and caused terrible trouble for true prophets like Elijah.
who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching
It is one thing to have a false prophet in the midst of a congregation but it is even worse when that false prophet is permitted to teach. Perhaps that is why Paul clearly tells Timothy that as a matter of principle, women are not to teach (1 Timothy 2:11-15). How many cults today are being lead or were started by a woman?
she misleads my servants
Curiously, there must have been members of the Thyatira church/fellowship who saw what was going on BUT were content to be quiet and not rebuke the false teachings. How about your church/fellowship? Is it being lead by a false teacher? Check it out and speak up if it is.