This was my first time reading Revelation and all I can say is that it was pretty wild. I had heard a lot about it being strange and little scary yet beautiful, and it lived up to the hype for me.
Of the letters to the churches in Asia, I found the one to Thyatira to be the most interesting. In this letter, John mentions the people tolerating a woman named Jezebel who claimed to be a prophetess, but was “luring… servants away to commit the adultery of eating food which has been sacrificed to idols”. The footnote said that the choice of Jezebel’s name was symbolic, based on the Old Testament queen. However, I wasn’t sure if this meant that Jezebel herself was a metaphor for false prophets in general or if this character referred to a specific person in Thyatira but John changed her name to add more symbolism. I was surprised by the punishment that was suggested for the false prophetess: “I am consigning her to a bed of pain, and all her partners in adultery in great hardship, unless they repent their practices; and I will see that all her children die, so that the churches realize that it is I who test motives and thoughts and repay you as your deeds deserve”. I was surprised that Jesus, who was depicted as so merciful towards sinners in the Gospels would be willing to kill all of the followers of a false prophet.
Anna Janzen 
The letter to Thyatira was super confusing to me. I was wondering how the Bible can depict Jesus in very different ways. The questions that you raised are really good and thought provocative.
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I also think the punishment is shocking, the same way I feel during the punishments on earth. From those prosecuting sentences, the only positive phrase for me is “unless they repent their practices” and that’s only a hypothesis. I still remember when I first saw the uncomfortable description of God drowning Egyptian, I started feeling God is unknown and sophisticated.
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