Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Revelation 2:20

"But I have [this] against thee, that thou sufferest the woman Jezebel, who calleth herself a prophetess; and she teacheth and seduceth my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols." — Revelation 2:20 (ASV)

The speaker’s verdict reveals that the congregation had allowed a woman prophetess (a false one, according to Christ’s assessment) to remain in the church and to continue to teach the saints to indulge in “sexual immorality” and to “eat food sacrificed to idols.” The genuine gift of prophecy was highly respected in the early church. Along with apostles, teachers, and elders, prophets were often elevated to leadership (1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11). Women also received the gift of prophecy from the Holy Spirit (Acts 21:9; 1 Corinthians 11:5). Prophets generally brought direct revelation from God in the form of teaching as well as occasional predictions of the future (Acts 11:27). Tests for a true prophet were available but often difficult to apply.

This supposedly Christian woman at Thyatira had claimed to be a “prophetess” and was presumably elevated to prominence in the church because of her unusual gifts. But only a small minority saw through her pious deception (v.24); the rest either followed her or ignored her views without objecting to her presence. In order to expose her true character, she is labeled “Jezebel”—the name of the Canaanite wife of King Ahab. She had not only led Ahab to worship Baal but had managed to promulgate her idolatry throughout all Israel (1 Kings 16:31–33; 2 Kings 9:22).

We must not, however, press the similarity too far. As this wicked and deceptive woman in the OT led Israel astray and persecuted the true prophets of God, so this woman at Thyatira was enticing the servants of God to abandon their exclusive loyalty to Christ. Her teaching was no doubt similar to that of the Nicolaitans and Balaamites at Ephesus and Pergamum. While most commentators prefer to see the “sexual immorality” as spiritual adultery (i.e., idolatry), the possibility of cultic fornication should not be ruled out (see comments on v.14). The distinction between the woman and those who follow her (v.22) may argue against the view that she is symbolic of a group in the church, unless the “woman” represents the false prophets and her “children” are those who follow the teaching (cf. 2Jn 1).