Revelation 2:20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.
Jezebel, she calls herself a prophetess. There is absolutely nothing that is divinely inspired about this woman. She does not have a clue about the future. She is only thinking about the here and now. She wants her way.
Jezebel is a bad influence. She could care less about others. She leads others into temptation.
…commit acts of immorality…This is an example of the translators providing a sanitary, politically correct interpretation. The Greek word is πορνευο/porneo. It is where the English term “pornography” comes.
Strong’s defines porneo as: to prostitute one’s body to the lust of another; to give one’s self to unlawful sexual intercourse; to commit fornication. Metaphorically: to be given to idolatry, to worship idols; to permit one’s self to be drawn away by another into idolatry.
…and eat things sacrificed to idols. This would be the case of food or animals killed in the name of other false gods.
A modern day example for the believer would be the Muslim holiday of Eid. Eid al-Adha is also known as the Feast of Sacrifice. This is a memorial of the Prophet Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael to Allah. As contrasted to the Bible in Genesis 22 where Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac to Yahweh (God).
During Eid thousands of sheep, goats, and cows are sacrificed. This event marks the end of what is called Dhu al-Hiijah. The sacrificed meat is given to the poor. Jesus is stating, “Do not eat foods sacrificed to idols or other gods.”
As a reminder…Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.”
Revelation 2:21 I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.
God the Father, Son, and Spirit is patient. The message to Jezebel is a message for all of us today. We have a free will choice. He is not making any of us change our behavior. He wants us to change our ways. There is time NOW to change our minds and ways. But there will come a time, when time runs out.
Revelation 2:22 Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.
Jezebel loved the bed and to the bed she will go…not exactly what she is expecting. In this case, the bed is effectively a hospital bed. It is the Greek word κλινε/kline; a couch on which a sick man is carried.
God is not interested in lip service. He wants abstinence instead of prostitution and other forms of unlawful fornication. If not, trouble is coming in the form of seven years of hell on Earth.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
