were in the new covenant with his Father, and who would conquer the world as Jesus had done. This would be granted to them in the “re-creation,” during Jesus’ second presence.—Matt. 19:28; Luke 22:20, 28-30; Rev. 3:21.

In harmony with Jehovah’s prophecy through Zechariah that the man named “Sprout,” the builder of the future temple for Jehovah, “must become a priest upon his throne,” Paul records concerning Jesus: “We have such a high priest as [Melchizedek, a king-priest], and he has sat down at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens.” (Zech. 6:11-13; Heb. 8:1) In addition to Christ Jesus, John saw the whole spiritual house or sanctuary of God, the faithful Christian congregation, enthroned as king-priests to rule for a thousand years.—Rev. 20:4, 6; 1 Pet. 2:5.

As foretold in Psalm 45:6, and applied by Paul in Hebrews 1:8, Jesus’ throne, his office or authority as sovereign, has its source in Jehovah: “God is your throne forever.” On the other hand, the Devil, too, provides basis or authority for his organizations to rule, as emphasized in Revelation 13:1, 2, with respect to the ‘wild beast that came out of the sea’: “The dragon gave the beast its power and its throne and great authority.” When Satan offered similar power and authority to Jesus Christ, his price was stated: “If you do an act of worship before me, it will all be yours.” (Luke 4:5-7) Correspondingly, the grant of a throne or authority to the “wild beast” must have been on the condition of its serving Satan.

In discussing Jesus’ position as God’s Master Worker, Paul mentions that through Christ “thrones” were created. The term appears to refer to positions of official authority, both visible and invisible, within God’s administrative arrangement.—Col. 1:16.

THUMB

Because man has thumbs that can be moved against each of his fingers, he can grasp things and perform many delicate operations that would be impossible if he did not have opposable thumbs. Anciently, a captive was sometimes incapacitated for military service by cutting off his thumbs and big toes.—Judg. 1:6, 7.

The Hebrew word boʹhen is used to designate both the thumb and the big toe; the appendage that boʹhen has reference to in any given text is indicated by the accompanying expressions ‘of the hand’ and ‘of the foot.’ Whenever the thumb is mentioned in the Scriptures, the big toe is referred to in the same text.—Ex. 29:20; Lev. 14:14, 17, 25, 28.

During the installation of Aaron and his sons as priests a ram was killed, and Moses put some of its blood on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, the thumb of his right hand and the big toe of his right foot. Then he did the same to each of Aaron’s sons. (Lev. 8:23, 24) The blood on the right thumb figuratively represented that they should carry out their priestly duties, working with the best (right) hand of their ability.

THUMMIM

See URIM AND THUMMIN.

THUNDER

The loud sound that follows a flash of lightning. Thunder is caused by the sudden expansion of air that has been heated by such electrical discharge, the air violently moving away from the lightning’s path and then back again behind it.—Job 28:26; 38:25.

The Hebrew word ra·ʽamʹ means “to rage, to roar, to thunder” and is at times mentioned in connection with Jehovah (1 Sam. 2:10; 2 Sam. 22:14; Ps. 18:13), the One who has on occasion employed thunder to accomplish his will. For example, in the time of Samuel, Jehovah threw the Philistines into confusion by means of thunder. (1 Sam. 7:10; compare Isaiah 29:6.) Another Hebrew word, qohl, sometimes translated “thunder” (1 Sam. 12:17, 18), basically means “to call” or “to sound, to say.” This term, depending on the context, may also be rendered “sound” (Ex. 28:34, 35; 1 Sam. 15:14; 2 Sam. 6:15) or “voice.”—Deut. 21:18; 1 Ki. 19:12.

The awesome sound of thunder is associated with Jehovah’s voice. (Job 37:4, 5; 40:9; Ps. 29:3-9) When certain Jews heard Jehovah speak from heaven to Jesus, there was a difference of opinion as to whether the sound was thunder or the voice of an angel. (John 12:28, 29; compare Revelation 6:1; 14:2; 19:6.) The sound of thunder often being an advance indication of an approaching storm, “thunders” can designate divine warnings, as at Revelation 8:5; 10:3, 4; 16:18.

To the Jews at the foot of Mount Sinai, the thunder that they heard was a manifestation of God’s presence. (Ex. 19:16; compare Revelation 4:5; 11:19.) Either this event or God’s leading Israel by means of a pillar of cloud (a place of thunder) may be alluded to by the psalmist’s words: “I [Jehovah] began to answer you in the concealed place of thunder.”—Ps. 81:7.

THUNDER, SONS OF

See BOANERGES.

THYATIRA

(Thy·a·tiʹra).

The city rebuilt early in the third century B.C.E. by the former general of Alexander the Great, Seleucus Nicator. It was situated some forty miles (64 kilometers) inland from the Aegean Sea along a tributary of the Hermus River in western Asia Minor. Thyatira’s Christian congregation received a message written by the hand of the apostle John at the dictation of the Lord Jesus Christ.—Rev. 1:11.

Thyatira today is called Akhisar and is located about 157 air miles (253 kilometers) S-SW of Constantinople and some 230 miles (370 kilometers) E of Athens. In the days of the Roman Empire it was an important city about halfway along the road between Pergamum and Sardis in the region of Lydia, within the Roman province of Asia.

This city was never a great metropolis or a center of special political significance or importance; but it was a wealthy industrial center, noted for its numerous crafts, including weaving, dyeing, brass-working, tanning and pottery making. Its dye business is frequently mentioned in inscriptions. Dyemakers of Thyatira used madder root as a source for their celebrated scarlet or purple color, known in later times as “Turkey Red.”

The polytheistic religion of the Thyatirans was just another variety of the more ancient Babylonian cult. Thyatira was very near Pergamum, to which city Chaldean priests had emigrated and where they established a religious center. The local chief deity was Tyrimnos, who in time became identified with the sun-god Apollo, the brother of the goddess Diana or Artemis.

Lydia, converted to Christianity during Paul’s first visit to Philippi in Macedonia, was a “seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira.” She may have been an overseas representative of Thyatiran manufacturers, a businesswoman of some means who owned a house spacious enough to entertain Paul and his companions during their stay in Philippi.—Acts 16:12-15.

When and by whom Christianity was first introduced to the Thyatirans is not known. There is no record of Paul or other evangelists ever visiting the city, or of Lydia’s returning there. Possibly the message reached there during the two years (c. 53-55 C.E.) that Paul was active in Ephesus some seventy miles (113 kilometers) SW of Thyatira, for during that time “all those inhabiting the district of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.” (Acts 19:10) What is known is that some forty years later there was a rather vigorous congregation of Christians in Thyatira.—Rev. 1:10, 11.

JESUS CHRIST’S MESSAGE TO THE THYATIRA CONGREGATION

This congregation, the fourth of the seven to receive its message, was commended for the love, faith and endurance it had shown. Its ministry was also approved; its “deeds of late are more than those formerly.” But, though the congregation had these commendable qualities, a very bad condition had also been allowed to develop and remain within this congregation. In this regard the Lord’s condemnation declared: “You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and misleads my slaves to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols.” This “woman” was probably given the name Jezebel because her wicked conduct resembled that of Ahab’s wife, and because of her callous refusal to repent. It seems, however, that only a minority of the Thyatira congregation was approving of this Jezebel influence, since the message went on to speak “to the rest of you who are in Thyatira, all those who do not have this teaching, the very ones who did not get to know the ‘deep things of Satan.’”—Rev. 2:18-29.

[Picture on page 1598]

Modern Tiberias as seen from the Sea of Galilee

TIBERIAS

(Ti·beʹri·as).

1. A city built by Herod Antipas about 21 C.E. and named after Tiberius Caesar, emperor of the Roman Empire at the time. It was situated about fifteen air miles (24 kilometers) NE of Nazareth, on a comparatively narrow strip along the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 feet (207 meters) below the level of the Mediterranean. Tiberias was some eleven miles (18 kilometers) around the sea from Capernaum and six miles (10 kilometers) above where the Jordan leaves that body of water. Here Herod as the tetrarch made his residence. Nearby, to the S of the city, were famous warm springs. The city is mentioned only once in the Scriptures.—John 6:23.

2. The Sea of Galilee was sometimes called Tiberias, after the city by that name located on its western shore.—John 6:1; 21:1.

TIBERIUS

(Ti·beʹri·us).

The second emperor of Rome. He was born in 42 B.C.E. as the son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla, but when his mother married Augustus in 38 B.C.E., Tiberius became the adopted son of the emperor. At the age of 31, upon the insistence of his stepfather, he divorced his wife Vipsania Agrippina and married Julia, the daughter of Augustus.

Augustus chose Tiberius as his successor only after others whom he preferred above Tiberius had all died off. On August 17, 14 C.E., Tiberius began to rule. John started baptizing “in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,” which fifteenth year ran from August 28 C.E. to August 29 C.E.—Luke 3:1-3.

Tiberius lived until March 37 C.E., and hence was emperor for the entire period of Jesus’ ministry. It was therefore Tiberius’ image that was on the tax coin brought to Jesus when he said, “Pay back Caesar’s things to Caesar.” (Mark 12:14-17; Matt. 22:17-21; Luke 20:22-25) Tiberius extended the law of laesa majestas (injured majesty) to include, in addition to seditious acts, merely libelous words against the emperor, and presumably on the strength of this law the Jews pressured Pontius Pilate to have Jesus killed. (John 19:12-16) Tiberius later called Pilate to Rome because of Jewish complaints against his administration, but Tiberius died and Caligula succeeded him before Pilate arrived.

As an emperor Tiberius had both virtues and vices. He restrained spending on luxuries and so had funds to use generously to build up the empire’s prosperity, as well as reserves to assist recovery from disasters and bad times.Tiberius viewed himself as a man not a god, declined many honorary titles, and generally directed emperor worship to Augustus rather than to himself.

His vices exceeded his virtues, however. He was extremely suspicious and hypocritical in his dealings with others and his reign abounded with ordered killings, many of his former friends being numbered among the victims. He consulted astrologers. At his villa on Capri where he spent the last ten years of his life, he indulged his perverted lusts in a most debased manner with men kept for unnatural purposes.

Not only was Tiberius despised by many individuals, such as his schoolteacher Theodorus the Gadarene and his stepfather Augustus, but also by his subjects in general. After his death, the Senate refused to deify him. For these reasons and others too, Bible scholars see in Tiberius a fulfillment of prophecy that says “one who is to be despised” would arise as the “king of the north.”—Dan. 11:15, 21.

TIBHATH

(Tibʹhath) [slaughter].

A city N of Palestine from which David took a great quantity of copper after striking down Hadadezer, king of Zobah, at Hamath, some 140 miles (225 kilometers) N of Dan. (1 Chron. 18:3, 8) In the parallel description of David’s campaign at 2 Samuel 8:8 Tibhath is apparently called Betah. (See BETAH.) Some suggest that Tibhath may have been named for Nahor’s son Tebah. (Gen. 22:24) In harmony with its being part of the Aramaean kingdom of Zobah, the location of Tibhath was probably in the valley lying between the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountains. Traces of ancient copperworks have been found in Lebanon, in harmony with the Biblical account.