06-11-26 Study of Revelation Chapter 2:8-11 Smyrna: The Suffering Church

➡ This Bible study focuses on the book of Revelation, specifically the letters to the seven churches. The study emphasizes the importance of understanding these letters in relation to our lives and the world today. It discusses the letter to the church in Smyrna, highlighting the persecution faced by Christians then and now, and the strength and purity of the persecuted church. The study encourages Christians to view persecution as a means of spiritual growth and to apply the lessons from these letters to their own lives.
➡ The text discusses the journey of Christian messengers through different cities, starting with Ephesus and then Smyrna. It highlights the hardships faced by the church in Smyrna, which despite facing persecution, remained pure and free from sin. The text emphasizes that suffering and persecution can strengthen true faith and weed out false believers. It also explains the concept of Jesus Christ as the eternal God who transcends time and space, yet chose to enter human history to experience physical death.
➡ The text discusses the belief that Jesus, both God and man, died as a man for our sins and was resurrected. It emphasizes that despite hardships and persecution, believers can find comfort in Jesus’ eternal life and resurrection power. The text also highlights the importance of a relationship with Jesus to overcome life’s challenges. Lastly, it uses the example of the church in Smyrna, which despite persecution, remained faithful and fragrant like myrrh, a substance used for perfume and treating the dead, symbolizing suffering and sweetness.
➡ The city of Smyrna, known today as Izmir in Turkey, was once a beautiful city with a rich history, but it had a major flaw – it lacked proper drainage, causing frequent floods. Despite its architectural beauty and strategic location near mountains and water, the city’s streets often flooded, creating unsanitary conditions. Smyrna was also a place of religious tension, with a strong culture of emperor worship and a large Jewish community that often clashed with the Christian minority. Despite the hardships, the Christian community in Smyrna remained resilient, with their faith tested by the city’s challenging conditions.
➡ The text discusses the historical conflict between Jews and Christians, highlighting the persecution Christians faced from Jews who rejected the Messiah. It emphasizes that being a true Jew or Christian is not about outward appearances, but an inward spiritual experience. The text also criticizes the Roman Catholic Church, suggesting it promotes false doctrines. Lastly, it recounts the martyrdom of Polycarp, a Christian who was persecuted and killed by Jews and heathens.
➡ Polycarp, a devoted follower of Jesus Christ, was threatened with death unless he denounced his faith and worshipped Caesar. Despite the threat of being burned alive, he remained steadfast, stating his unwavering faith in Jesus. He was eventually left to die in the flames, symbolizing the persecution faced by his church. Despite their poverty and suffering, the church remained strong in their faith, believing they were spiritually rich despite their material poverty.
➡ The text discusses the spiritual battle between God and Satan, focusing on the strength of faith. It uses the story of Job to illustrate how Satan tries to destroy faith, but true faith remains unshaken, even in the face of severe trials. The text encourages believers to remain faithful, promising them eternal life. It concludes by emphasizing that true believers, or ‘overcomers’, will not be affected by the ‘second death’, which is spiritual and eternal, but only by the first, which is physical.
➡ Paul was worried about the Thessalonians being misled by false teachings instead of staying true to their faith, especially during times of persecution. The books of First and Second Thessalonians provide guidance to prevent this from happening in our lives. The New Testament teaches us not to love or partake in worldly things, and these historical lessons are relevant to our current experiences. We should always be thankful for God’s teachings and apply them to our lives, trusting that He is in control.

Well, welcome back to our Thursday night Bible study. We’re into the book of Revelation and we are studying the letters to the seven churches. We started this about a year ago, and we moved out from an overview of this into the book of Ephesians so that you can learn about your relationship with Jesus Christ. Because as we come back into this and actually study the seven letters to the seven churches, you now understand why it was so important to go to Ephesians because you’re learning that each one of these letters is about your life. So, so we’re taking a very detailed study on each one of these seven letters as we go through Revelation verse, word by word, verse by verse, so forth.

Okay? And in doing so, we come to chapter two, and we’ve, we find that we’re, we’re dealing with the seven letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor. Now, Asia Minor today is modern Turkey. So all of these churches were within the boundaries of geographical, today Turkey, which is quite important, right, because next week when we get into Pergamos, you’re going to find that Turkey is the seat of Satan and that’s still the seat today. So you find that, you find that all of this is, is not only developing in world history from a, from a prophetic point of view, the fulfilling of prophecy, but you’re seeing how today’s world is controlled associated with how these churches were established.

Now it, the. This, this goes to, we’re going to, we’re going to read tonight chapter two, verses eight through eleven. This is the letter to Smyrna, and it says this. The first and the last who was dead and has come to life says this. That is the title that is used in this letter identifying Christ to the church at Smyrna. From the church, it’s murder, right? The first and the last who has. Was dead and has come to life says this. I know your tribulation and your poverty, but you are rich. And the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

Now, this goes all the way back to Christ’s dissertation or discussion with the Sanhedrin, when he told the Sanhedrin that you are of your father, the devil. Okay, so now you can see at the end of times, that system, we’re talking about two systems. That system has not been replaced. So what you’re going to see is that system that began before this, before Christ walked this earth, has continued through our lifetime. Today will be the system in the end times. All right, let’s continue. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison that you may be tested and you will have tribulation.

10 days now. Okay, we’ve seen 10, a lot. And what’s going on in world history today, We’ve been told 10 this, 10 that, whatever. Just. We need to pay attention to world events. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the scripture says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death. What’s the second death? Your physical death. Okay, now your physical death is. This is your. Is the. It depends on how you look at this. Let’s go back.

You died with Christ and you were resurrected with Christ at the time of the cross. Now, some of you might think that that’s your first death, second death, it might be the. The Spirit, the physical death in regards to that. All right, so you need to have a perspective on what scripture is telling you here as it relates to the overall basis of all scripture. Your second death is your physical death. I’m just laying that out for you. How you look at this, how you position it, that’s up to you. But your second death is your physical death.

You’re not going to die spiritually. So throughout the history of the church, even in our day around the world today, the purity and strength of the persecuted church has been very apparent. You can go into the news even today and see the Christians that have been executed in Ethiopia. That’s like yesterday. So this event that they’re talking about in the church of Smyrna is happening today. Christians are being persecuted. Well, so are you in the United States, by the way. And you well know recently we have all been exposed to the church that for many, many years has hidden in Eastern Europe.

That’s coming out, too. What came out today on the news, Christians stood up in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland has just been set on fire. Not just cars and buses, but homes in neighborhoods that are lived by Christians. We’ve often decried the treatment of Christians over. Over there and worried about wondering about the state of the church in Europe and realized that they could not proclaim Jesus Christ public. It can’t do it today. Try to do it in Rome, by the way. Just go try. See what happens. Nigeria is another one. There are no tolerance of the gospel.

There wasn’t then and there’s not now. They were being taught atheisms. What are you being taught? Lbgtq Transgenderism. De all of this stuff that has nothing to do with the life of a Christian. Some of them were being sent to prison, some of them were being martyr. Well, that’s happened in the United States. We’re not yet martyring in the United States, but we’re close. See, we often wonder how it was with the church then. Well, now we know. We have either heard, read or seen with our own eyes the power and the blessedness of the suffering church in Eastern Europe.

It is a powerful church. It’s a pure church. It is a strong church. And even with my trips into Eastern Europe, it’s a deep spirituality, humility, zeal and single minded devotion to the Lord in that area and the love of the truth that exists in these wonderful Christians who have known persecution for a long, long time. Now, the Bible, you shouldn’t. Well, maybe you will be surprised that since we know that tribulation has a perfecting work according to James. All right. Peter says after you’ve suffered a while, the Lord will make you perfect. Remember what I said.

You need to plan your life strategically with the element of persecution. Why? Because that’s your growth. That’s how Christ perfects you. And so we know that the church which suffers is the church which is purged, purified. We noted last week in Second Thessalonians that Paul reminds them of their suffering and how their suffering is, had produced endurance and perseverance and great hope. Now here’s a little church in the city of Smyrna and that church was just that type of church, purified through the suffering that comes from persecution. And you’ll, you’ll notice that the church identified there in verse eight is Smyrna.

That’s a historical city of fact, a real place. And we’re going to get into that more later. But we need to remember now that each of these letters in chapters two and three are to real churches that existed in real cities at that time. But they also are symbolic or emblematic or exemplary of churches at all other times in history of the Church. Remember, these churches in description represents the age of the church in its maturity from Ephesus to where we’re at today. So you see the element of these churches in our history underneath the rulers at that time.

And you now see it in your life because every one of you have elements of each one of these letters occurring in your life. So you have a real historical church that also is not like unlike churches throughout the history of the church. This then helps us to understand churches today that suffer under persecution and gives us a Word of instruction for all persecuted Christians and how they are to deal with that difficulty. Pay attention. That is self assessment. When you are being persecuted, you need to understand the elements of the church in Smyrna. You will also remember that this is the second of seven letters to these churches in the various cities of Asia Minor, which is now modern Turkey.

These letters were basically given by the Lord Jesus Christ through the pen of the Apostle John on the isle of patmos in about 96 AD, long after most of the rest of the New Testament was written. Paul was already gone. They’re then given to the angel which we have now identified that the angel of the church is the messenger, that this is from each church to be taken to the to the several churches. And we’ve talked about this in our introductory discussion to the book of Revelation, that the letters are listed in the same order that any traveler would go as he moves through Asia Minor.

Not only is it historical time elements through time, but it’s the process of following a travel plan. Oh, now that’s important. Why? Because that travel plan is your life. You’ve gone through Ephesus, now you’re listening to Smyrna, which you will apply to your life. And it just gets worse along the way. So we can assume that it each new city. First Ephesus, then Smyrna. The letter given to that church and the messenger that gave that letter would stay and, and six would go on. Okay, so now they come to Smyrna and the messenger from Smyrna delivers his letter and five more move on.

Each church apparently having a representative delegate designated as the angel messenger from that church and for that church. So the first messenger probably stayed with his church in Ephesus. After the letter was delivered to them, the group moves on. Smyrna is about 40 miles north of Ephesus. There in that little church there is a wonderful working of God produced through great difficulty. This is one of just two of the seven where there is no condemnation, there is no discussion about sin. Important, important for your self assessment to understand this. There’s no word from the Lord about punishment.

This is a purged church. It has been purged of error. It has been purged of sin through the matter of what suffering. God does not want you to live in poverty, wants you to live in in basically riches. His he owns them, he wants to give them to you. Ephesians 1:3. But you have to suffer in your Christian life in order for you to grow into the person that he wants you to be. Always from a physical standpoint and an earthly standpoint, the price of being a Christian can be very high in a hostile environment. Think about the United States.

Not only do you have the government against you, you have the corporate churches against you, you’ve got the, the corporations against you, you’ve got the education system against you, you’ve got the health system that wants to kill you. Think about where you are at in regards to this letter to sma. So what was apparently the case in Smyrna is apparently the case today. And so through persecution they had been purified. Through persecution they had come to a serious kind of Christianity. Through persecution they had been deprived and in their poverty they had become spiritually rich. And so in these verses which I read, John has only praise for this church.

Why? Because that’s what the angel of Jesus Christ had told John to write. Now it’s a bit of background. Historically, the ruler Domitian was the Caesar at that time. Now if you know anything about Roman history, you know that Domitian was a murderous dictator who launched an extensive persecution against the church which reached some kind of fever pitch in the town of Smyrna. Think about your life. As we learn here, then are are reminded at least of a very important principle, self assessment. The church which suffers persecution becomes purged, becomes What? Pure. Ephesians 4. Your first element of your walk with Christ, your relationship, is to be pure in all things.

Well, how are you going to get that? How are we going to get that? You can’t get that unless you suffer. Hypocrites don’t stick around to be persecuted. False Christians don’t want the pain. Matter of fact, in their minds they don’t need it. They’re not willing to make a sacrifice. Now we’ve talked about this in other discussions. Persecution, trials, tribulations and suffering will always destroy false faith. But those same things will strengthen true faith. So we, when we look at this church, we’re, we’re looking to see a model of a suffering church. Remember, you’re the church and we’re going to hopefully learn from them how every faithful Christian should respond in the manner in the matter of suffering.

Now we want to note also that is inevitable that there will be some suffering for us. We’re experiencing it today. 2nd Timothy 3:12 says all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, Sal, shepherd, persecution. That’s not saying when, it’s not saying if. That says you will. When it comes this to this little church in Smyrna, it that’s going to be an example for what our lives now as we look at this, we’re going to look at several component parts, as we did last time in the letter to Ephesus. Number one, the correspondent, who is the writer, just like we looked last time, it says to the messenger from the church in Smyrna, right? And here is, as in all of ancient letter writing, the person writing the letter identifies himself at the beginning rather than at the end.

That is a way that they wrote in history. Instead of signing the letter at the end, where you then determine who’s sending you the letter, it’s spelled out in the beginning of who’s sending you the letter. In other words, if you were writing under these kinds of terms, you would say, I, Jim, write to you, Bill, Sue, John, whatever. And that’s the way this begins. This is to the church in Smyrna, and the one writing is the first and the last who was dead and who has come to life. He’s the one who says all of this.

Now, I want to remind you that each of the times in these letters when the. When the writer is identified, he’s identified in very unique terms. Most of them are drawn out of the vision of the glorified son. In chapter one, verse 12 and following chapter one, verse 12 and following, you have that great vision of the Son of God moving through the church as he is pictured moving among the golden lampstands, ministering to the church. He’s designated there by number of descriptive terms. Now, we went through them all and saw their meaning last time, and now they reappear as he identifies himself in these various letters.

Here he calls himself the first and the last who is dead and has come to life. That comes straight out of chapter 1, verses 17 and 18. Here is the Lord described as the first and last, describing himself in verse 18 as the one who was dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore. So the writer then of this letter is none other than the glorified exalted Christ seen in the vision of Chapter one. Now, let’s go a bit further to remind you of these titles themselves, the first and the Last. That title. When we were in chapter one, we discussed that this is the name God took for himself.

Now, I’m not going to take you all the way back through it again, but in case you’re taking some notes, you’ll find this in Isaiah 41:4, Isaiah 43:10, Isaiah 44:6 and 48, 12. In those places God calls himself the first and the last. Now, here is the same title is used to designate Jesus Christ in chapter one verse 17. And here again in chapter two, verse eight, once again in chapter 22, verse 13. When we get there, you’re going to find it again. This is to say then that Jesus Christ is none other than God himself.

And yet though they be one, he is still distinct, different. He’s a separate entity. And you’re going to get this in your self study as of tomorrow, when you go through Genesis, day five of creation, if you go to self study. There’s a long discussion about this. And it’s also in day six. Is the eternal infinite God already in existence when all things were created and remaining after all things are destroyed? He is the first. He, he pre existed. He is the last. He will go on forever when other things cease to be. He does not.

When some things begin. Oh, and yes, everything has a beginning. He’s already there. He’s the first and the last, the eternal one. This idea must be understood because you’re living a spiritual life at a physical environment. You’re a spiritual being living a physical time. So this whole idea about Christ is to understand that he transcends time, he transcends space, and he transcends his own creation. He is not in time. You can’t house him in a space and you can’t mold him into this creation. So amazingly, when we look back at verse eight, this same one who is eternal.

Yeah, sorry. Who was before all things and will live forever, who transcends all things and was dead and has come to life. Here is a paradox of all paradoxes. Because we tend to view life in a physical form. How can this eternally living God, who is beyond all time, beyond all space and beyond all history, die? How can he die? Well, we’re told in Ephesians, we’re told in Scripture that Christ died before the foundation of the world. How can that be? Well, first off, he did. The Lord Jesus Christ was God incarnate, entering into time, space and history for the very purpose of, of physically death.

That’s it. He needed to physically do what he already did in heaven before the foundation of the world. That’s his whole purpose. And if you study Scripture in his walk on this earth, you’re going to see a very focused Christ. Now understanding this point, you’re going to see a very focused Christ just doing just that. He really didn’t care about Gentiles, right? He said, your dogs get away. I’m not here for you. It wasn’t his time for the church. He was here for Israel and that was it. He was here for the Jews. See, this is the heart of the gospel.

How could this eternal living one die? He could only die as a man. Well, that’s interesting. He’s 100 man, 100 God. He can only die as a man. Oh, well, that’s interesting when you look at the cross. Because when sin was placed on Christ at the cross, he became no more God. He became 100% man. Why did he say, God, why have you forsaken me? That means he left him. Why have you left me to die on this cross? Well, that’s his whole purpose in his physical walk on this earth was to die. He can never die as the eternal God in whom he his unending life can’t do that.

But he died as a man for sin and now lives by resurrection as the glorified God man. But he himself, according to Hebrews 7:16, had the power of an endless life. Guys, I hope you’re paying attention, Because here’s your question. Why does he designate himself this way to this church? Well, why does he designate himself this way to you? Because you are the church. Well, he did so because of their persecution. He is saying to them, time is tough for you. It’s hard living in this world. History is unkind to you. I just want you to know that I was here before it started and I’ll be here after it’s over.

Take comfort in that knowledge. I transcended all of this and so do you. Because of your relationship. What to me, him? Do you want to get over your persecution? You want to get over your situation of life? Well, that is your relationship with Jesus Christ. It doesn’t get solved without a relationship to him. You’re stuck. You’re stuck in this world of sin, in this world of chaos, in this world of a government that could care two rats about you, that wants to kill you. You’re stuck, not going to get out of it by yourself. Furthermore, he says, I know about dying, see, For I was dead as a man.

I can tell you about death. If you listen to me, I’ll tell you about death. That’s what he’s saying. Literally, I became dead. He died for three days as a man, and yet I’ve come back to life. And so he reminds this church that even should they die in the persecution, they’ll not experience anything that he hasn’t already experienced. You’re not alone. Should they die, should you die, they will not be cut off from his eternal resurrection power. That’s what he’s saying. You’re living a physical life experience which you’re going to die. It’s a matter of when the timing’s right in his calendar that you’re going to die.

But your spiritual life was on. And that is what should be important to you, no matter what you’re going through. And we’ve all been there at various levels. The Lord Jesus suffered the most unjust, the most severe, the most powerful persecution anyone ever has suffered. He suffered death on a cross bearing the sins of the world. Oh my gosh, the weight of that. You try, just take on the sins of your siblings or your children or your spouse. Just try that for a moment and see how that goes. This is the supreme suffering. And he says to them, I was dead and I’m alive.

And that’s one way of saying, you’ll die, perhaps, but you’re going to live again. The Lord of the Church is the correspondent, then John is simply the writer. And the letter is given to the messenger representing the church of Smyrna to be delivered to them to encourage them that Jesus Christ is the transcendent dentally living one who through death yet lives and provides for them resurrection life should they lose their physical life under persecution. Self assessment. What’s more important to you? The second thing to note in this letter is the church itself. Now, biblically, we don’t even know how this church is founded.

There’s nothing in scripture that tells us how this church was founded. Interesting enough, though it’s never mentioned anywhere in the Book of Acts, never mentioned in the, in, in the Book of Acts. It was that it was a pure church, obviously a wonder, wonderful congregation of people, but it has no profile in the New Testament. This is the only time you see it as a letter. The only thing we know from this letter and is what it tells us and nothing more. We can assume that it was founded during Paul’s three years. That in Ephesus, when from Ephesus the Gospel went out through Asia Minor, the church was founded only being about 35 to 40 miles away from Ephesus.

It might have been one of those first stops on Paul’s discipleship journey. But we know nothing about how this church specifically was founded. We know that from the ministry at Ephesus there was a great harvest that extended far beyond that city. In fact, in Acts it says that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Gentiles. Acts 19:10 during the same period. So there’s a trans. There’s a tremendous proclamation going on here. But for this little church in Smyrna, life was Very dangerous. It was dangerous for a number of reasons, not the least of which was if you fail to acknowledge Caesar as Lord, you could lose your life.

Remember, they had to burn incense once a year to Caesar. And Smyrna had a very unusual affinity to Caesar. Now, we’re going to get into that just in a bit, but so much so that some historians tell us in Smyrna, in particularly, there were mass execution of Christians who refused to bow their knees to Caesar. That doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t knuckle under the political leader. Caesar was proclaimed as a God, and he was to be worshiped as a deity. Goes directly against the Ten Commandments. And so it was very dangerous being a Christian in this town, which had an unusual affinity of.

For Rome and Caesar. Okay, guys, get your, get your. Get your self assessment in order. Identify where you’re at, because you can’t handle two masters. You cannot support this world in worldly fashion. And be a Christian. Doesn’t work. The word Smyrna is very interesting. Why? Because it means a myth. It means myrrh. Means myrrh, myth, myrrh. And if you read the Bible and do any background study, you can learn about myrrh. Now, myrrh was a substance that was taken from a thorny tree and it was used basically for perfume. And it was used to put on a dead body for aromic therapy purposes.

Make them smell good. I could talk a long about that in my younger days. It had some kind of fragrance to it. And you will remember, of course, that it is mentioned several times in the New Testament. Matter of fact, it was what some of the wise men brought to the birth of Christ. If you recall in Matthew 2, when the wise men came, they brought, literally in Greek, sm. Smyrna. They brought this aroma therapy substance that had been crushed from the thorny tree and yielded up fragrance. They brought it as a gift to the baby Jesus.

Oh, wow. It was perfume for a newborn. I doubt very seriously Jesus Christ smelled as a newborn. In Mark, chapter 15, Christ was offered wine mixed with myrrh. Mixed with what? Smyrna. And in John 19, you might remember that when Christ was buried, his body was covered with Smyrna or myrrh. So it started out in the New Testament as a perfume and then later on was associated with death. It becomes the picture of suffering in this little church. Swimmer was used to treat the dead. In order for that thorny tree to yield that fragrance, it had to be what? Crushed.

I want you to think about that. And so you see this little church, the mer church, crushed. And when it’s crushed, it yields the sweet aroma. Oh my gosh, that’s your life. So the church was in the right temp. God permitted Satan to crush them, to yield the sweetness of their aroma. Self assessment. It’s like a wounded child fleeing to a loving parent. The crushed Christians at Smyrna fled for refuge to the eternal Lord who said, I understand you. I too have died and and rose again. So this little church in the town of Myr was being crushed because of her love for Christ.

Now unlike Ephesus, apparently, there was no leaving a first love here. There was no waning of first love. They really loved. And so because they really loved, they were really faithful. And their great faithfulness resulted in hatred. And hatred led to persecution. Persecution drives you, the believer, to the Savior’s side and keeps first love hot. Go back to Ephesus, you’ve lost your first love. Those who overcome shall receive eternal life. Tree of life. How do you do that? Persecution. You got to strategically implement into your life’s journey Persecution. You want to seek it in Christ. So we meet in this church a body of Christ loving saints, destitute.

Think of your self assessment. Crushed, powerless but sweet, fragrant in aroma. They bring before Christ in us. Now let’s look at the third point, which is the city. What kind of place is this city? Well, of the seven mentioned here, this was what, the most beautiful city, maybe the most beautiful in all of Asia Minor. It was called the crown of Asia. A magnificent place, not only because of its architecture, but because of the very topography of the place. It was magnificently beautiful place, near the mountains and near the water. Its magnificent at times must have seemed like poor compensation, however, for the terrible neglect of the architect who originally built it.

Because when it was originally built, somehow they forgot the drains. The water couldn’t drain out of the city. If you got a mountain and it rains and it rains into the valley of the city and you have no drains, what happens? You get flooded constantly. And so there was some curious stories about the fact that in this beautiful city, the streets always ran like sewers, always ran like source when it rained because the architect had made no provision for drains. So the fragrance of Smyrna was not all that sweet. Smyrna was also old as far back as history goes.

And I’ve done a little studying on trying to find the beginning and I. I keep going back and back and back and back and back in history and all I can see is the destruction. And I think there’s going to be a beginning, but it’s never found. This will be the city that was destroyed. And if you go back a little while and you look for that city that was destroyed and they tell you it was built on the ruins of another city, and if you go back and that one was built on the ruins of another city and you goes back and back and back, back, You can’t really find the beginning.

There seems to have been a city there of some sort for very, very long millennia. History, theologians and historians tell us that there were many earthquakes in this area. There are numerous fires and rebuildings and rebuildings and rebuildings over and over and over again. The city as it would be in that in the time that this letter was written, would be rebuilt maybe about 290 BC. So it might have been about a 400 year old city by that time. Oh, by the way, this city still exists today. Today the population of Smyrna is about 300000 people, but it’s known as Ishmar I S M I R Turkey.

But that’s Smyrna. That’s the same city been around for a long time, guys. Ephesus is gone, its harbors silted up. But Smyrna lives. And in that city there are still Christians worshiping the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, in Roman times, Smyrna was quite a place. It had a harbor that actually reached in about 35 miles. One of the finest in the world. World. It was the loveliest of cities, so that the Aristides said the winds blow through every part of the city and make it as fresh as a grove of trees. They had another problem though. There was this constant west wind that caused them a problem.

Sewage drained into the gulf and the west wind blew it back into the city rather than out to sea. They were completely in, you might call, pooped constantly. Just another one of Smyrna’s aromatic attractions. Well, the, the setting of the city was beautiful and to some it was the ideal city on earth. It began at the harbor. This deep harbor of about 35 miles, traversed some narrow foothills and then behind the city rose this great pegas, a hill covered with temples and noble buildings. Oh, it became a center of science, if you want to know the truth about science.

Science should be the exploration of truth about scripture. It became a center of medicine. It was a free city, had always been on the winner’s side in all of Rome civil wars, and so was given the privilege of self governing, same as the United States. There was a very strong emperor worship Culture there. In fact, they kill people who didn’t worship Caesar. Each year every citizen had to burn an incense at Caesar’s altar, which he was issued a certificate in doing so. To be without a certificate must have been the case. For a lot of Christians, obedient to Christ was to risk discovery and the death penalty.

About a half century after John’s time, after the writing of this letter, Polycarp. A man named Polycarp was burned alive at the age of 86. One writer has said it was the 12th martyr in Smyrna. Oh, it’s real. It happened. He was the pastor of The Smyrna Church 50 years after this, and he would not bow his knee to Caesar. So joining hands with the Romans to expose Christianity was a large Jewish community. And we know that the Jews repeatedly informed the Romans against the Christians and incited the local government government to attack them. It’s a tough city.

It’s tough to be be a Christian there. It was the center also of the worship of Cella, the worship of Apollo, Aphrodite, Zeus. And they all had temples there as well as a glorious monument to the great writer Homer, who apparently was born there as well. Now, nestled in this great city was this little church. So from the details in verse 8, we go to the commendation which is in verse 9. What Christ tells the church is, I know your tribulation and your poverty, but you are rich. And the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews, Hear me out.

Those that say they are Jews and are not, but are synagogue of Satan. It’s a repeat of Christ in At Sanhedrin. That is knowledge based of you understanding the financial world control system today. That’s who’s in control. And when they control the financial system, they control the world. So what’s different in the church of smarter than the church of your life? Absolutely nothing. And what Christ says is, I know your works. I know everything about you. And if you remember back in chapter one, how that the son of God moving through the church has eyes like a flame of fire.

He can see everything. Nothing escapes his vision. You can’t get away from him, no matter what you do. He says, I know your works. Some translations include that little phrase and some leave it up. By the way, I want to bring it up because of those who include it in case the Lord would want it in the new American standards. It just says, I know your tribulation and your poverty. Christ, ministering among the lampstands, knows every single detail about this church. And as he does about every church, in every place and every time, that’s you. He says, I know your tribulation, I know the pressure you’re under.

That’s the Greek word for pressure. I know the crush, I know the problems and the pain. Now they would have not been not unlike the believers in Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11:34 says that certain believers there quench the power of fire, escape the edge of the sword. In verse 37 says that they were stoned, sewn into, meaning cut into, tempted, put to death with a sword, went about in sheep skins, goat skins, being destitute, afflicted, ill treated, wandering in the deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. They would have been not unlike those who suffered greatly.

Why were they persecuted? Now? I’ve already hinted at the reasons, but we’re going to broaden it a little. Number one, they were in opposition and conflict with the emperor’s worship. Self assessment say in that time already, for 300 years, since 195 BC, a temple to Dia Roma, Rome had been built there. Dia Roma means God Rome. Rome had been personified as a guide. And who’s our governmental system after Rome? Actually in this case it was a goddess. And this temple had been built there where you would go to worship Rome. Caesar then had taken on the deification of Rome and so it was a center for Caesar’s worship.

Caesar had become a God. And so they would refuse to sprinkle incense before the bust of the Emperor in the Dia Roma temple. And they would take, they would not take their certificate, they would not call Caesar Lord. And so they would be accused of rebellion and they would lose their lives. Self assessment where do you stand in the nature of Jesus Christ? Secondly, they were all engulfed in pagan worship of many different kinds. Temples, festival, oh estar here, temples, festival, gods, goddesses by the thousands all around them. But the real capstone comes here with he says, I know your tribulation by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

The third enemy that I, that I have already alluded to was the Jews. They refused to acknowledge him as Messiah and Savior. And one of the most shocking statements ever made on the pages of Holy Scripture. Jesus Christ says they are members of a synagogue, but it isn’t the synagogue of God. It’s a synagogue of what Satan. Jews who are not Jews had rejected the Messiah. Jews who hated the church, a group of which Paul had once been a part of when he was killing Christians before his conversion. Though these Jews who had rejected Messiah Had a major shift once they were part of the assembly of God, the synagogue of God.

But listen, with the rejection of Messiah, Judaism becomes as satanic as an emperor’s worship. That’s where they’re at today. Even more so because it’s light and privilege. The Jews set out to slander the Christians. What they do today, they slander them for cannibalism, saying they eat flesh and drink blood. They slander them for lust and immorality because they greeted one another with a holy kiss and held love feasts. They slandered them for home wrecking because one member of a home became a Christian and it brought a sword into the household. Think self assessment. They slandered them for atheism because they rejected the worship of emperors and the deities of Rome.

Lbgtq Think guys. They slandered them for rebellion and political disloyalty because they said this is a tantamount to mutiny. Well, what’s going on politically? And the Jews wanting to destroy Christian faith, went to the Romans to report to Christians and that they might lose their lives. Well, that’s exactly what they’re trying to do worldwide today. So when Jesus says I know your tribulation and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan, it is to this that he has reference. It must be that this was the most volatile and devastating of all the levels of persecution.

He calls it blasphemy. But that word, though usually referring to God, could here be translated slander and be related to them. It actually could read and I know the slander by those who say they are Jews that are not. But a synagogue of Satan, they’re slandering you. To slander Christians, to despise Christianity and to hate Christ is certainly blasphemy, but it could wouldn’t be unfair with this word to see it is a reference to the slander these Jews brought against the Christians. Now I have to know this verse 9 they say they are Jews and they’re not.

Now that poses a significant question. Were they really Jews? And the answer is from a physical standpoint, yes. And think about this. Think about it. Noah was a Jewish. He had three sons. Those three sons were Jews. So from a physical standpoint, you might want to think about this. From a physical standpoint, probably are going to shock your mind. Everybody. Since Noah are Jews, Wrap your head around that. At this point in time in history, they had once belonged to the synagogue of God, as it were. Why? But, but that was before Jesus walked this earth.

They all profess to acknowledge the law. Okay, Moses. So at one time they were part of the synagogue of God. They were Jews physically. But he says here that they saw they were our Jews and they are not. Because one is not a Jew who is one outwardly. One is a Jew who is one inwardly. I want you to think about that too, because that’s the same thing with Christianity, by the way. Christianity is not an outward exposure. Christianity was an inward experience. For circumcision is not of the outside, but circumcision is of the heart. And so these were Jews in a physical sense, but not true Jews.

Romans 2:28 says this. He is not a Jew who is one one outwardly. He is a Jew who is one inwardly. So in that sense, through physical Jewish, they are spiritually pagan. You’re a spiritual being living a physical life experience. What controls you? These smarter Christians were being mercilessly slandered at the mouths and the hands of these physical Jews. Think about the state of Israel. What is the state of Israel? It’s an outward exposure of a Jewish state. It’s not an inward experience at all. See these people joined with the heathen in putting Christians to death.

And as they allied to stamp out Christianity, that’s exactly what’s going on with the state of Israel today. Now, as we study Acts, I need to note that the hatred of the Jews for Christians is a very familiar fact to everyone who is participating in our study of Acts. Because that is at the crust of the issue of the church. If you read Acts, chapter 13 and verse 50, you see their hatred in Antioch, which what we’ve studied. And if you read chapter 14, verses 2 and 5, you’ll see their hatred exposed in Iconium in the city of Leicester.

It is described in chapter 14, verse 19. In chapter 17, verse 5, you see the their hatred again against the Church of Thessalonica. They’re only rejected Christ and not only persecuted him on the cross, but they went after Christians. Paul was one of their leaders. Remember he was standing there watching Stephen get stoned, as it were, with the robes laid at his feet by the people who stone Stephen to death. It’s a tragic thing to look at history in this light and understand how the Christians were persecuted by the Jews. Why? Because now you can understand why you’re being persecuted as a church.

It’s also a tragic thing to think about how Christians have persecuted Jews through the century. That’s why it’s often difficult to reach a Jew for Christ. Because in the name of Christianity. A false kind of Christianity exists. Jews have been persecuted but at the beginning it was the opposite. In the Roman Empire there were many wealthy Jews who had made their fortune by doing business with Rome. And they had the ear of the authorities and they sought to blot out the infant church. What is going on in our government? See, the first Roman Empire to kill Christians was Nero.

And he had two close Jewish proselytes friends. One was an actor by the name of Alos and the other was his lover, oh Paa. And they fed ill will and slander into narrow ears and he killed Christians. So here in this small little, in this gorgeous town, in the small little church of Smyrna, the same thing was going going on. A large Jewish population poisoned the minds of the people against the Christians. Guys, stop right here and think why did the Roman Catholic Church contract with almost 6,000 churches in the United States to further the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church? Think what’s different? Nothing.

There are in a synagogue, you’re in a church. It isn’t the synagogue of God, it’s a synagogue of Satan. That is the Roman Catholic Church by the way. And that the document that was signed by almost 6,000 churches is the doctrine of Satan for you. Why do I continue to go after the corporate church? Because the founding of those corporate churches are based upon Roman Catholic doctrine and you can’t give me one. Even the church of John MacArthur Grace to you was built the Roman Catholic Church. Doctor, go read the documents. See, there’s no doubt in my mind that they had a synagogue right there in Smyrna.

They did their emperor worship thing because hypocrites will move in any direction. But they had their synagogue and their association, but it was no synagogue of God. I want you to think, hear what I’m saying. They had their synagogue and they had their association. Two separate entities. What associations are you with and what. It was a synagogue of Satan and so there were not true Jews. If you go back to John 8:44, Jesus looked at the Jewish leaders and he says, your father is not God, your father is not Abraham, your father is the devil. Well that is the majority of most governments today.

Now if we wanted to illustrate a little bit the hatred that existed. There we go. Can just go back to the martyrdom of Polycarp. Some material exists that lets us know he was killed in about 155 to 156. And as I said about 50 years or so after the writing of this letter. Well, let’s explore what is said about this In a letter addressed to by the church. By the church at Smyrna, to the churches. In the Christian world it is related that Jews joined with heathen in clamoring that Polycarp should be cast to the lions or burned alive.

And the Jews were foremost in bringing logs for the pile and in the endeavor to prevent the remains of the mortar from being delivered to his Christian friends for burial. It was the time of the public games. The city was crowded and the crowds were excited. Suddenly the shout went up. Away with the atheists. Let Polycarp be searched for. No doubt Polycarp could have been, could have escaped. But already he had a dream in which he saw the pillow under his head burning with fire. And he had awakened to tell his disciples, I must be burned alive.

Self assessment, guys. His whereabouts were betrayed to by the persecutors, by a little slave girl who collapsed under torture. And they came to arrest him. Not even the soldier captain wished to see Polycarp die. On the brief journey to the city he piled, he plied with the old man. What harm did is it to say Caesar is Lord and to sacrifice and save your life? But Polycarp was adamant. Only Jesus Christ was his Lord. Self assessment, guys. Polycarp entered the arena. The pro council gave him the choice of cursing the name of Christ and making sacrifice to caesar or death.

86 years old have I served him, said Polycarp, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my king who saved me? The pro council threatened him with burning. Polycarp replied, you threatened me with the fire that burns for a time and is quickly quinced. For you do not know the fire which awaits the wicked in the judgment to come and an everlasting punishment. Why are you waiting to do this? Come, do what you will, Polycarp says. And he remained unmovable. So the crowds came flocking with their sticks from the workshops, from the Bass.

And the Jews, even although they were breaking the Sabbath law, law by carrying such burdens, were foremost in the clamor, in bringing wood for the fire. They were going to bind him to the stake. Oh, Polycarp says, leave me as I am, for he who gives me power to endure the fire will grant me to remain in the flames unmoved, even without the security you will give by the binding. Self assessment, guys. So they left him loosely in the flames, and there he died for Christ. This is the culmination of the persecution of this little church.

And so he says, I know about you. I know your tribulation and slander against you by those who say they’re Jews that are not, but belong to the assembly of Satan. Secondly, in verse nine, he says, I know your poverty. This was a poor church. Now there’s two Greek words for the. For the word poor. Wine means that you have nothing superfluous. Superficially, you’re not wealthy. You just satisfy your basic needs. You work with your own hands. You have nothing extra. But that’s not the word here. The word here is picoas. It means you have nothing at all.

Oh, think of that. You. You own nothing. You’re a steward on what’s given to you. Christ owns everything. Think about it. Think about. Think about why this is so important to your life. You have absolutely nothing at all. Absolute poverty. Complete dest. Destitution. Most of them must have been slaves to add to their poverty as slaves. Probably abused slaves who did not work and get very little, if anything beyond food. Maybe more than that. Any Christians who had anything, who would have been robbed and plundered and deprived of what they had. They were poor because of their faith.

They had been robbed and plundered and slandered and accused and imprisoned. This church had every human reason to collapse, but it didn’t. Self assessment. Every human reason to say, who needs this religion? We’ll just go try another. But they didn’t. They just leaned in all tomorrow on Jesus and they never lost their. The first love. The phonies were eliminated. They never mingled with the world. They couldn’t see. The lines were drawn and they were holy. The Lord says, I know. See it at the beginning of verse nine. I know. Probably emphasizing the knowledge of experience more so than just some kind of observation.

He says, I know what you’re going through. I went through it. I know by my own experience. I’ve been there. I’ve been poor. Christ didn’t have a place to lay his head. Remember? He didn’t have a house. I had not a place to lay my head. I’ve been persecuted. I’ve been killed. I know. I know your tribulation. I know it not because I. I can see it happen. I know it because I’ve been there. I feel it. I’m sympathetic as a high priest for you, but see, this church was not just persecuted and poor. Well, you got to note the little parentical statement in verse nine.

But you are what? You’re rich. You’re rich. You’re rich because you have what really matters. You have that spiritual thing. That’s what I see in the persecuted Church when I was with the Christians, okay, around this world, they were so rich, but so poor. In all of my 17 countries that I lived in, you’ve already heard the story. I. I went searching everywhere for truths, even to some slums. But they had what mattered. This is the poor rich church in Laodicea, the last church he writes to, chapter three, verse 17, is the rich poor church. That’s our church today.

Just the opposite. He says, you think you’re rich, but now I’m telling you you’re poor. To Laodicea, to this group, he says, you think you’re poor, Smyrna, I’m telling you you’re rich. Well, what is really rich? They had holiness, they had power, they had love, they had joy, they had grace, they had peace, and they had true friends. They had a divine resource. They had a sympathetic savior. They had grace upon grace. They were rich. That’s how it is with the persecuted church. Self assessment. You should feel very sorry for the persecuted church. If you look at the Soviet Union as an example, and I can never forget stories that I read about pastors in the Soviet Union under communistic rule, And they say I could never be a pastor here.

And in comparison to the United States, when you actually look at the detail of this, it’s so much easier in the so so Union than it is in the United States, Because we’re caught up in the world and material things and comfort. And how can you find true commitment? See, self assessment. And to some degree, pastors would far rather be pastor in the Soviet Union than here. I would rather be a teacher of a poor rich church than a rich poor church. Verse 10, the command. You think you might want to say them. Hey, folks, I know you’re suffering a lot, but it’s going to be over soon.

No, he doesn’t say that. What does he say? He says, more is coming. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Do not be afraid. More is coming. Reminds me sort of Psalms 56, 11. In God I have put my trust. I will not be afraid. More suffering is coming. Be of good cheer. He has overcome the world. John 16:33. There’s no promise for relief. There’s just a promise for more suffering. So he says, don’t be afraid. And then he gets specific. Behold. That’s another way of saying, here’s reality, guys. I’m not going to tell you it’s going to get better.

It’ll all get better. He said, no, it’ll always get worse before it gets better. That’s your Reality. That is your reality today. Look, he says, now here’s your reality, folks. Let me, let me throw this up to you. The devil is about to cast some of you into prison. It’s going to happen. This is a prophecy. It’s going to to end, it’s going to continue and some of you are going to be put in prison. The devil is going to do it. Well, you gotta love to see how God controls the devil. God could have very well said, this going to blow some of your minds again.

God could have very well have said, I’m having the devil do this. A few of you are going to go be put in prison. Flying. We talked about this because we need to be tested. Our faith needs to grow through tests. And you might say, wait, wait, it isn’t going to last too long and you will have tribulation. 10 days. 10 days, it’s a short imprisonment. He said, what does that mean? Well, some people think it means 10 years that he’s using a day as it were, a year. Some people think it means just an indeterminate amount of time.

But I kind of feel like when God wants to say something, he just says it. So if he said 10 days, what would really a deep scholarship tell you that he meant? Maybe even. Maybe he did mean 10 days. Scripture says it means 10 days. What he’s saying is, don’t fear. That’s really what he’s saying. This is your reality now. Take a look. Now the devil is about to cast some of you into prison and you’re going to have trouble. Ten days, it’s a short imprisonment. Maybe it ended in death, maybe it ended in release. Very, very important, you’ve got to understand this, that you may be tested is the purpose.

Self assessment. Some Christian is going to say, lord, I think I’ve been tested already. Could you pick on her or pick on him? Leave me alone. I’ve had enough. You might say, I’m sure I’m saved and I’m sure you know who is saved. So who in the world is this persecution for? You want to know who it’s for? It’s amazing when you look at the detail. See, I think God was making a point to the devil here. Say the devil has a long history of trying to destroy saving faith. Self assessment. Do you understand that the devil can read the Bible? Do you understand that the devil has more knowledge of probably about spiritual things than you do? And you understand that he is an evangelistical fundamentalist? You understand that he interprets the Bible correctly so he reads it and he wants to destroy the plan of God and the purpose of God, which is based upon salvation.

And he wants to attack salvation by confusing the gospel or by attacking a believer who’s already saved and trying to destroy the salvation that the believer possesses. He wants to destroy the regenerate. You remember, he’s after the church. He couldn’t prevent Christ from coming into this world and being resurrected. He now is coming after you. That is your battle. Christ says, I’m holding you, I’m protecting you. And Satan is saying, let me add him. I’m going to go to war with you and I’m going to get that person. Oh, let’s just look at Joe. We talked about Job.

On Tuesday night, Satan showed up at the throne and he says, God did. Have you ever heard about my servant Job? This is what God said talking to Satan. Have you ever heard about my servant Job? Why did he say that? Well, the devil was rolling around through the world, just moving around, remember, Going from place to place looking for a house, blah, blah, blah. What was he doing? Looking for someone. To what? Devour? That’s what scripture says. God says to him. Have you ever tried Job? Now you say, why is God giving him suggestions? Because God is in charge.

He controls everything, both good and bad, holiness and evil. See, Job is upright, godly and blameless. Job was the best, the most virtuous, the most God fearing, the most faithful man. And Satan says to God, yeah, yeah, yeah, but the reason he’s like that is because he’s got everything. Materialism, he’s rich, he’s got a big family, he’s got it made. He wishes his steps. He washes his steps with butter. The man is loaded. He’s got it all. If I take it away, he’ll curse you to your face. Well, here’s what God says to him. Heaven, go after him.

Think about you. You can take his life, but you can’t do anything else. You can’t take his life, but you can do anything else that you want. And what happens? Joe went to instant poverty, loses everything. All his children die, and the only one that was left is his wife. And on several occasion he had wished that he could trade her for one of the kids because she kept saying, oh, curse God and die. Where are you? You know, giving him that bad advice and never proved to be any help in the whole book. Not only did he lose all of that, he got a bunch of dumb friends who kept giving him bad counsel.

They were the original Christian therapists. My gosh. And they didn’t know anything. And they gave him all of the wrong answers. Life is a horrible disaster for Job. But through it all, through. Through it all, his faith never wavers. Though he may slay me, yet will I trust him. He, I. It never wavers. And God is saying to Satan, see, no matter what you do, no matter how hard it is, no matter how difficult it is, no matter how severe it is now, you can’t imagine anything more severe than what Job went through if you hadn’t reminded yourself of that.

Read the book again. You think you got a bad go read Job. So it doesn’t matter how hard it is, you can’t destroy true faith. And sometimes God just wants to send that signal to the domain of Satan. In the New Testament, Luke 22, Jesus looks at Peter and he says, satan has desired to. To have you that he may sift you like wheat. He’s supposed to be telling Peter, satan’s after you, buddy. He came to me and asked if he could have you. What did I tell you? On Tuesday night, Satan wants to do something.

He’s got to go ask permission. You can imagine Peter saying, well, you told him no, didn’t you? Jesus said, no, I told him yes. You know why. Peter thought that, you know, I’m saved and you don’t have to put me through this test. I know I’m saved. I’m not going to have to get that information. What are you doing this for? Self assessment, guys. This is another message to Satan to prove that saving faith is indestructible. And he went after Peter. But he said, jesus said, I prayed for you that your faith fell not. And it didn’t.

And a messenger from Satan went after Paul and couldn’t destroy his faith either. In fact, through it, Paul became stronger than ever glorification of God. You might go through persecution, be tested for somebody else’s benefit. Now, I really believe on the supernatural level that God and Satan are engaged in a battle over the faith, over the strength of faith. And Satan is constantly trying to destroy true faith. Why? He’s got to destroy the church. Church is based upon faith. That’s where you do it. You destroy the foundation of the church. You destroy the church. And God says, all right, give it a try.

Let’s see what you can do. And Satan, in total frustration, comes back defeated. So God says, I’m engaged in a war with Satan and I’m going to show him glory and I’m going to display the power of my salvation. And I’m just telling you, the devil is going to come and he’s going to put some of you in prison. And it may not be more than 10 days. However, it’s test not to reveal anything to you and not to reveal anything to me, but to make the point to him and his whole kingdom that saving faith is indestructible.

Your persecution might be just for that cause. Then comes the final counsel. Be faithful until death, and I’ll give you what? The crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcome shall not be hurt by the second death. I don’t need to spend a lot of time here. You know what the first statement means. Be faithful until death and I’ll give you the crown of life. He’s simply saying, if your faith is real, your faith lasts. In the end, I’ll give you life. The crown of life.

You’re saved in the past, you’re saved in the present, and you’re saved in the future. It’s not the crown. It’s not a big thing you put on your head. It says life, and you wear it all over heaven. It is the crown, it is the culmination, it is the reward which is eternal life. If you die in faithfulness, he says, I’ll give you life. If you have, you got to fear. What have you got to fear? Because if you die faithful, I’m going to give you life. I’m the one who was dead. And I’m the one who’s what? Alive? Because I live.

You’re gonna live. He who has an ear, let him hear what the scripture says to the churches that appears in every one of these letters. What he’s saying is, listen closely and hear what I’m saying. Christ said it, John wrote it. The messenger delivered it. The Holy Spirit is pressing it into the heart. Hear what the Spirit says to you. I thought this was Christ’s teaching. Well, it is. I thought this was John’s writing. Well, it is. I thought the messenger delivered it. He did. But it’s the Holy Spirit who presses it it to the heart and says, listen and obey it.

That’s you. And then he closes with a note about an overcomer he overcomes. Shall be hurt by the second death. Shall not be hurt by the second death. Every time you see the overcomer here, it means. It just means the Christian first. John 5, 4 and 5. Who is he that overcomes the. Even the one who believes in the Lord Jesus, Our faith is the overcomer. So true believers, he says, those of you who are real believers will never be hurt by the second death. That’s the one to really worry about. The first death is only physical.

The second is what? Spiritual and eternal. So what do you have to fear, you persecuted Christians? Just be faithful to death and in doing so, I’ll give you life. Just be an overcomer, a true believer, and you’ll only experience the first death, never the second death. You may die once physically, but you’ll never die twice. Those without Jesus Christ will die twice. So the persecuted, pure little rich church crushed and fragrant, vicious with truth victorious. I’m sorry, with truth and faith. And I ask you, are you an overcomer? We’ve had many, many discussions on this. We’ve had many, many documents written on this for your benefit.

Is your faith real? Are you waiting for the crown which is eternal life? Question, would you escape the second death? Self assessment say the motive to be an overcomer is that the consequences are eternal. But it’s not just eternal in the afterlife. It’s eternal in this physical life experience. With that, we have reviewed the letter to spark comments, questions, points. Norma Jean. Well, as I’d said the other night, I was doing a comparison on the churches and the Church of Thessalonia was also persecuted, but towards the end they were tempted with the false teachings. So it kind of has a different spin in how they reacted, I guess, to the persecution.

And Paul was really concerned about them falling into following the false teachers rather than persevering and staying in the faith. So I just thought I’d bring that up. Yep, Thessalonians first, Second Thessalonians are great books to study. Some point in the history God’s been want us to do that. But. But Thessalonica was persecuted. Remember that everything in the New Testament gives you a different application. They were persecuted differently for a different application for your life. They’re persecuted by the world who they were listening to. And because of their listening to the world, do not love anything in this world.

Do not partake of anything in this world. Do not associate with this world. But they were doing it. And the application that Paul gives you in first and second Thessalonians is the application to prevent that from happening in your life. Any other comments? All right, let’s pray. Father, thank you again for a night in your word. Thank you for again showing us how these letters to the churches actually are application principles for our own life. Thank you for showing history as history is showing us history as history was made, and showing history as it relates to what we are experiencing today.

Father, thank you so much for opening your word to us in such a magnificent way so that we get a not only an understanding, but the wisdom that comes from the knowledge of Scripture. May we apply it to our lives. May we ever be diligent in our sanctification process. Father, thank you for your son. Thank you for the Son’s death on the cross. Thank you for his resurrection. Without that, we would not be able to go home. Bless this time together. Be with our world leaders as things come to a head in accordance to your plan.

May we ever be peaceful and joyous about knowing that you’re in full control. We ask all these things in your son’s death.
[tr:tra].