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| image sources: https://www.ccog.org/the-smyrna-church-era/ & http://trackingbibleprophecy.org/revelation1B.php |
The Message to Smyrna
8 Write this to Smyrna, to the Angel of the church. The Beginning and Ending, the First and Final One, the Once Dead and Then Come Alive, speaks:
9 "I can see your pain and poverty - constant pain, dire poverty - but I also see your wealth. And I hear the lie in the claims of those who pretend to be good Jews, who in fact belong to Satan's crowd.
10 "Fear nothing in the things you're about to suffer - but stay on guard! Fear nothing! The Devil is about to throw you in jail for a time of testing - ten days. It won't last forever. "Don't quit, even if it costs you your life. Stay there believing. I have a Life-Crown sized and ready for you.
11 "Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches. Christ-conquerors are safe from Devil-death." The Message
(the following is from www.easyenglish.bible)
"Verse 8 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 harbor. In trade, it was second only to Ephesus.
Jesus writes to Smyrna as the first and the last. He defeated death. He was now alive (1:17). He writes to a church that suffered much from the local people. Jesus suffered much. He knows what it is to suffer.
Jesus died and came to life again. So, they too can be brave even to die. They can be sure of the life beyond death.
Verse 9 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.
Verse 10 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.
Verse 11 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."
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