Rev 2:8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
Rev 2:9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
Rev 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
Rev 2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
Good morning, Reader! Today is a brand new day – another day to look forward to the Rapture of the Saints, amen?! As we continue our look into the Book of Revelation, I pray that you are blessed and that you, too, are looking forward to our Blessed Hope!!! Don’t forget to tell someone about the times that we are currently living in and how close we are to Rapture and the Tribulation.
Today’s Scriptures speak of the Church at Smyrna. This is one of two churches where Christ had nothing against it (the second being Philadelphia). This church was known as the suffering church. In the timeframe of the church age, it existed from 100-312 AD. This is the time where Constantine made Christianity the state religion. One would think that this would have been a time of rejoicing for believers. But what this actually did was allow pagan practices and customs to permeate the church – there was no change of heart. At this point, there was a part of the church that became very carnal and allowed unbelievers to be a part of them.
There was a remnant in Smyrna who followed the Lord without compromise. Jesus commends them for not giving into “the synagogue of Satan.” Jesus refers to Jews who belong to this synagogue of Satan. The devil’s deception is subtle and these Jews added “works” to the salvation message. The devil knows that if he can put carnal people into the church, that church’s effectiveness would diminish. Jesus also continues to encourage them not to fear their upcoming suffering. He tells them of their upcoming reward so they have something to look forward to!
What can we learn for today? We sure can see some of Smyrna’s church in our churches. Many are playing church and not sincere in their love for the Lord. They appear religious but inside they are dead.
Mat 15:8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
There are plenty of churches today, but they are filled with people who love the entertainment but don’t have the Spirit within them. I saw this when we lived in Oregon. On the most part, Oregon is a spiritually cold State. There aren’t many churches and the ones we attended were not fervently preaching the Word of God. It was very much like attending services with dead people. The members had no joy and I felt it the moment we walked in. It was as though they were robots simply filling the pews. We did, however, find one very small church with only ten people. The Pastor preached his heart out and we were spiritually fed there. Unfortunately the town we lived in did not want to hear his message. It’s very sad when people would rather be entertained or hear messages that don’t “dig too deeply” into their hearts. But this was not the case with Smyrna, praise the Lord!
So what’s the point of sharing these letters to the various churches, you may ask? There is a “moral to the story” in each of the letters. I’ve always said that God is very economical. He will use His Word to bless each and every one of us! God’s Word goes further than to simply record historical events. His Word works on the inward parts of man’s heart. The Holy Spirit of God pricks the heart and lays it open for one to see where repentance is needed! Amen? I can read the same Psalm repeatedly over a period of time and each time I read it, that same Psalm will speak to my heart in a different way. That is why God’s Word is known as the “Living” Word! Praise Him!
Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
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