WORD From The Woods
Revelation 2:8-11
“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write:‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. “‘I know your tribulation and your poverty ( but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.”
The church in Smyrna was one of the two churches out of the seven mentioned in Revelation that did not receive any kind of rebuke. The believers there were simply encouraged to be strong and keep their eyes on Christ. The city of Smyrna was a port city know for its cults and temples to different pagan gods. There was also a zealous following of Jews that rejected Christ as Messiah and they were persecuting the Christians in Smyrna. Between the Jews and all the pagan cults, the Christians there were under intense persecution and I’m sure that they felt alone and that their trials would never end. They were in poverty, likely because they had been blacklisted from the business community for choosing to follow Jesus instead of the culture. They were told that their suffering would get worse before it got better, that some would face prison and even death. But even death would not conquer them because Christ offers the crown of life, eternal life! Despite their poverty, they were rich in Christ! They were told that in comparison to eternity, their persecution was like 10 days and if they just persevere and keep their eyes on Christ, by His power, they will be victorious in the end. This message of encouragement is not just for the Christians in Smyrna 2000 years ago, it also applies to us today. The same Jesus that they followed back then is the very same Jesus we follow today. We might not be facing the same kind of persecution today where we live, but many of our brothers and sisters do around the world. Someday, maybe very soon we will face it here as well. We do face a very real opposition to the things of God, just watch anything on TV an you’ll see the blatant messages against God. If Jesus sent a message to us like He did to the seven churches in Revelation, would we receive rebuke form our King our just encouragement to continue standing against the wickedness of the culture around us?
God Bless and have a great week! -Terry-
Revelation 2:8-11
“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write:‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. “‘I know your tribulation and your poverty ( but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.”
The church in Smyrna was one of the two churches out of the seven mentioned in Revelation that did not receive any kind of rebuke. The believers there were simply encouraged to be strong and keep their eyes on Christ. The city of Smyrna was a port city know for its cults and temples to different pagan gods. There was also a zealous following of Jews that rejected Christ as Messiah and they were persecuting the Christians in Smyrna. Between the Jews and all the pagan cults, the Christians there were under intense persecution and I’m sure that they felt alone and that their trials would never end. They were in poverty, likely because they had been blacklisted from the business community for choosing to follow Jesus instead of the culture. They were told that their suffering would get worse before it got better, that some would face prison and even death. But even death would not conquer them because Christ offers the crown of life, eternal life! Despite their poverty, they were rich in Christ! They were told that in comparison to eternity, their persecution was like 10 days and if they just persevere and keep their eyes on Christ, by His power, they will be victorious in the end. This message of encouragement is not just for the Christians in Smyrna 2000 years ago, it also applies to us today. The same Jesus that they followed back then is the very same Jesus we follow today. We might not be facing the same kind of persecution today where we live, but many of our brothers and sisters do around the world. Someday, maybe very soon we will face it here as well. We do face a very real opposition to the things of God, just watch anything on TV an you’ll see the blatant messages against God. If Jesus sent a message to us like He did to the seven churches in Revelation, would we receive rebuke form our King our just encouragement to continue standing against the wickedness of the culture around us?
God Bless and have a great week! -Terry-