seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Revelation 2: 8“To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
11 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
11 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.
Oh boy... that 10 days hung up a lot of commentaries.
This is from the easy English site.
On the route north from Ephesus, the next city was Smyrna. Its modern name is Izmir. It is about 35 miles from Ephesus. It is on the sea and it had a good, safe harbour. In trade, it was second only to Ephesus.
The Lord knew all about the problems in Smyrna. He saw all the troubles that they had. They were very poor and they struggled to live. Life was very hard for these Christians.
They were poor. But Jesus said that they were rich. They did not have much of this world’s wealth. But they were rich toward God. They knew the Lord and he appreciated them.
There was a large number of Jews in Smyrna. These hated the church. They caused a lot of trouble. They spoke lies and said evil things about the Christians. They turned the rulers of the city against the church.
Jesus said that these Jews were not real Jews. A real Jew is not just one who has Jewish parents. A real Jew is one who trusts God. A real Jew would not be against Christ or his church. These Jews served Satan and not God. Perhaps they thought that they were serving God. But by their actions, they were against God. They caused trouble for God’s people.
The church in Smyrna would soon have a terrible time. They would suffer much. The Lord says that these troubles would last for ten (10) days. Ten is a whole number. ‘Ten days’ probably means a period of years but with a definite end.
The Roman rulers would put many of them in prison. Some would die because of their trust in Jesus. In all of this, they must remain strong. They must continue to trust in Jesus through it all. They must not deny Jesus. The Lord allowed such troubles in order to test them, to prove their trust.
People will do these evil things but the real cause is the devil. He uses people to do his work. So, the devil will put them in prison.
However, the Lord says, ‘Do not be afraid.’ Jesus told his friends not to be afraid of those who could kill the body. They cannot kill the person’s spirit, which lives in the body. Rather we should be afraid of God who can punish the whole person, both body and spirit (Matthew 10:28).
To those who overcome, Jesus will give life as a crown. The reward, like a crown, is life itself. This crown is the sort that the winner in a race receives. They had races in Smyrna. This life is like a race. Those who win the race will receive the prize. All who trust Jesus to the end will win the prize. The prize is eternal life with the Lord Jesus.
The Lord calls all of us to listen. We all need to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
There is a second death. We all live and die. The Lord will raise all people from that death (John 5:28-29). Then he will be the judge of all people. He will decide their fate by what they have done. The second death is the punishment for all who do not trust in the Lord (20:13-15). But those who overcome will not die a second time.
The Lord knew all about the problems in Smyrna. He saw all the troubles that they had. They were very poor and they struggled to live. Life was very hard for these Christians.
They were poor. But Jesus said that they were rich. They did not have much of this world’s wealth. But they were rich toward God. They knew the Lord and he appreciated them.
There was a large number of Jews in Smyrna. These hated the church. They caused a lot of trouble. They spoke lies and said evil things about the Christians. They turned the rulers of the city against the church.
Jesus said that these Jews were not real Jews. A real Jew is not just one who has Jewish parents. A real Jew is one who trusts God. A real Jew would not be against Christ or his church. These Jews served Satan and not God. Perhaps they thought that they were serving God. But by their actions, they were against God. They caused trouble for God’s people.
The church in Smyrna would soon have a terrible time. They would suffer much. The Lord says that these troubles would last for ten (10) days. Ten is a whole number. ‘Ten days’ probably means a period of years but with a definite end.
The Roman rulers would put many of them in prison. Some would die because of their trust in Jesus. In all of this, they must remain strong. They must continue to trust in Jesus through it all. They must not deny Jesus. The Lord allowed such troubles in order to test them, to prove their trust.
People will do these evil things but the real cause is the devil. He uses people to do his work. So, the devil will put them in prison.
However, the Lord says, ‘Do not be afraid.’ Jesus told his friends not to be afraid of those who could kill the body. They cannot kill the person’s spirit, which lives in the body. Rather we should be afraid of God who can punish the whole person, both body and spirit (Matthew 10:28).
To those who overcome, Jesus will give life as a crown. The reward, like a crown, is life itself. This crown is the sort that the winner in a race receives. They had races in Smyrna. This life is like a race. Those who win the race will receive the prize. All who trust Jesus to the end will win the prize. The prize is eternal life with the Lord Jesus.
The Lord calls all of us to listen. We all need to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
There is a second death. We all live and die. The Lord will raise all people from that death (John 5:28-29). Then he will be the judge of all people. He will decide their fate by what they have done. The second death is the punishment for all who do not trust in the Lord (20:13-15). But those who overcome will not die a second time.
Here's the deal.... we think too much about the dollar value of life.
I'm old now... well relatively.... I'm going to be 68 next month. I worked for over 50 years.... I've done a lot of jobs... I whitewashed Pepper's Poultry Processing Plant one summer..... I was a cab driver for a couple years.... I was a bookkeeper for over 35 years.... so I have a little social security check that I've earned that comes in every month. I'm comfortable... but there are a lot of people who would claim that I have a meager income. The difference is... I have everything I need. I'm rich!
The church in John's day was having serious problems. The mere idea that Jesus was the Messiah.... that threatened the Jewish leaders and the idea that Jesus was King of the Jews bothered the Romans because the king would have to be subservient to Rome... and let's face it... anyone who has conquered death would have no reason to be subservient to anyone of anything... right? [Unless of course Jesus should choose to serve humans and teach them love as He did the first time... then it's by choice He's subservient.... not by decree from some wannabe].
The modern day church has these same problems. I was at a family reunion a couple years ago. My grandmother started a little church up in the mountains.... and the family still attends that church. They were discussing the cost of upkeep of the church. They needed more money to make repairs. I have six aunts and uncles in this family. Actually... now it's five aunts and uncles... one has passed. I THINK one of them prayed about it.
We don't need a crystal cathedral. We don't need a new cross. We don't need a big building or new drapes... God gives us everything we need. I know everyone "wants" to show Jesus the respect He deserves.... but what He really wants is our attention.... He wants us to listen.... He wants us to let Him work in our lives. He doesn't need a new communion tray.
In the future.... the church is really going to go through some horrible problems. We're already seeing some problems in all the churches.
External problems are already brewing.
- Humans have brought fire arms into the church and murdered those in prayer.
- Church leaders are no longer opening the coffers to feed the poor or heal the sick.
- Church leaders are no longer teaching Christ Crucified.... they soften the sermon so as not to offend those who "might not be there yet"
Jesus said "Matthew 18:20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
In the world.....Money makes our world go around.... not Jesus.... Do you see it getting any better in the near future?
Last edited: