Dr. Thiel Looking through Wall of Ancient Thyatira
Does anything in the message to Thyatira equate to the Greco-Roman and Protestant churches? Those of the Thyatira era were called names like Paulicians, Bogomils, Vaudois, Cathars, Patarenes, Albigenses, Publicans, Lombardists, Henricans, Waldensians, Petrobrusians, Insabbati, and even Anabaptists, though they tended to refer to themselves as Church of God Christians. Were all with those names true Christians or only a minority? Did the Roman Catholics teach the "person of Christ," while the Waldenes taught the "doctrine of Christ"? Did they teach against Sunday, Easter, and Christmas? They claimed to have a list of apostolic succession starting with the original apostles into the 16th century, and essentially claimed that they did not come from the Church of Rome, but their succession came from the original Greek church (like Antioch). Were many in Thyatira subject to persecution, including the Spanish Inquisition? Did any in India claim apostolic succession from the Apostle Thomas and/or people in the Greek regions of Asia Minor or Antioch (Syria)? What about ties to Armenia? Were the Thyatirans non-trinitarian? Did they have a version of the Textus Receptus? Did those of Thyatira preserve and translate scripture that the Greco-Roman churches later took? Were Peter Waldo, Peter de Bruys, Andreas Eossi possibly leaders? Were many of the records of the Thyatirans burned or otherwise destroyed by the Greco-Romans? Some who compromised doctrinally got the Greek Orthodox to accept their succession in the 15th century, Roman Catholics to accept in the 16th century, Anglicans to accept (and insist on the validity) in the 18th century, and even the British Parliament to accept the Moravians' succession claims from the Waldenses in the 18th century. What did the faithful in Thyatira believe about the seventh day Sabbath, Holy Days, tithing, crosses, and clean and unclean meat? How did they view the Greco-Romans? Who did they think was a forerunner of the final Antichrist? Many in Thyatira were in the Italian Alps, Transylvania, Romania, Ukraine, and Hungary--where might be are any remnants of Thyatira now? What about Bozodujfalu? What about compromisers with the changed Worldwide Church of God, now called Grace Communion International? Dr. Thiel addresses these matters and more!
A written article of related interest is available titled: "In Search of the Thyatira Church"
