But, we are going to experience suffering on this earth without doubt. Satan had plans to cast some of the Smyrna church into prison. The crown of life is a special reward for endurance in your persecution. Home values, sales prices, taxes, school data, and more. In verse 9 when He says, I know your tribulations. That word used here for tribulation literally means pressure. Most scholars agree that the name Smyrna was a reference to the myrrh, which was the chief export of the area. Why would there be a need to be tested further? Before they lit the fire, he prayed, Oh Lord, almighty God, I thank you for counting me worthy of sharing the cup of Christ among the number of your martyrs. Until recently, we who live in the United States and Canada have had many personal liberties, particularly the freedom to worship God.In the post-World War II era, most other modern Israelitish nations have also enjoyed such freedoms, and thus most in the church of God are not accustomed to widespread or severe persecution. Jesus thus says in effect, you know what, I know what it is like to be persecuted by your enemies. I know your afflictions and your povertyyet you are rich!Followers of Jesus living in Smyrna were seen as a cult and persecuted by the hostile Roman empire. Second, in a lesson especially relevant for todays Western Christians, Jesus praised the church at Smyrna for choosing poverty over compromise. Another kind of pressure they were under was a pressure to worship the pagan gods and goddesses. 4. Many believe that this church represents the martyrs of all the ages and the sweet-smelling fragrance of their faithfulness until death. We may not be worshipping Satan, but when we run the church by our ways and agendas, we are, in fact, worshipping Satan, because Christ is not only ignored, He is being opposed! Maybe you are in a season that everything is going great and you are just loving life. They despised and hated Jesus Christ. I Peter 4:19 instructs those who suffer according to the will of God to entrust their souls to a faithful creator in doing what is right. He knows the suffering that you are going through. c. Slanderings. Some can endure physical sufferings under tribulation and poverty, yet few can . I want that kind of depth. So, how is He involved in your church? How wonderful it would be if our church received an encouraging letter from Jesus, especially if it contained no criticism. Ch 1 pt 3, Kingdom 104: Masculine-Minded Men of the Kingdom Government Pt 1, Kingdom 104: Masculine-Minded Men of the Kingdom Government Pt 2, Kingdom 104: The Benefits of Understanding the Simplicity of the Kingdom, Kingdom 104: The Benefits of Discernment, The Kingdom Is the Crux of the Problem Pt 1, The Kingdom Is the Crux of the Problem Pt 2. How is it possible to not fear impending tribulation and suffering? It's incumbent on us to listen up and give heed to what the Holy Spirit is saying to the churches. It was the loveliest of all the cities. What did the future hold for the church at Smyrna and what would be the purpose? Ironically, our sufferings are far less of a venture and sentence than our poor choices. I believe it exists. I have felt his warfare. (Ephesians 1 is a good reminder of our riches in Christ.). 3:17); it is impossible for a person to be in Smyrna, before the Lord, yet at the same time be in Laodicea, before the world. How do you respond to suffering and tribulation? We are called to be faithful, even if it means death. Many were placed on the rack where they were stretched so far that their legs and their arms were pulled out of their sockets. I do not want anyone to go there. Appreciation for this transcription work goes to Marilyn Fine. 6. Things are smooth. He does not want you to know that Jesus wins and that he loses. 1 John MacArthur, Jr., The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Revelation 1-11 (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 69. Life is not going so great. First, we serve a God who knows, sees, and is with us through every fiery trial and dark night (Isaiah 43:2). 6. The letter to the church at Smyrna is unique for several reasons. Throughout the history of the Church the more that the Church has been persecuted the greater its purity and strength. I do not like it when life is hard. I sat outside and prayed. Is the Apocalypse Mentioned in the Bible? God knows and He cares for you. Why are these blaspheming Jews referred to as a synagogue of Satan? What Does God Say about the Church at Smyrna? But, Jesus reminded them that they were poor here on this earth but you are so rich. Oh, I do not think she should be doing that or I do not think he should be. Be careful. Father, I just thank you for the privilege of knowing you personally. 2007 - 2023 ChurchLeadership.Org - All Rights Reserved. In 1 Peter 4:12-19, what are some lessons for life concerning suffering? 3. They did not look at my life and go, wow, I love her life! They were looking at my life going, what a loser, you know, she cannot even get drunk. It was hard, but that still is not the kind of pressure that these Smyrna Christians went through. The fourth thing we need to remember is that the ultimate solution is trust. But, maybe there are some of you who are in a very difficult season of life. This was a message meant to encourage them in light of what they were facing presently and were about to face in the future. 7 Richards, L., The Teacher's Commentary (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1987), 1075. It is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible other than these four verses, but it is believed it is with the other churches that were founded while Paul spent two years in Ephesus on his third missionary journey. List reasons why those Jews were not considered real Jews in Jesus eyes. He is not just a Savior and/or best Friend; He gives us life, holds our lives, and will judge our lives. The Apostle John was arrested for preaching the Gospel and exiled to Romes penal colony on the island of Patmos, near Asia Minor. I want that kind of prayer life. But then we would always say, I dont want to go through what they went through. You see, the road to getting there is through suffering. Where Does the Bible Mention These Seven Churches? Life was hard for these Christians. It was one of the chief cities of Roman-dominated Asia and competed with places such as Pergamos and Ephesus for the title "First City of Asia." You would listen to these believers pray and you would just think they are on a different level than we are. 2. In this same verse, Jesus offers great comfort to His church by assuring them that He is the God who sees, knows, and cares about their troubles. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! I have heard it said and I put this up on the screen to help you, If you are born twice, you will only die once. If you are born physically and then later you are born spiritually, you will only die once and that will be when you die physically, (unless the Lord comes back, in which case you would not die at all). How does knowing that Christ, the Creator and Lord of the universe, approves you help you cope with "feeble mortals" telling you dishonorable things? By surrendering our lives to our born-again existence, we join our Smyrnaean brethren as overcomers who wont be harmed in the second death, which is the final judgment of the wicked (Revelation 20:6, 20:14, 21:8) Jesus Christ paid for our sin on the cross at Calvary. How can I be changed, so I can learn and grow? 1. Are you a God pleaser more than a people pleaser? If we are going to suffer well, the first thing we have to remember is that Jesus Christ is the ultimate victor. As a result, the Smyrnaean believers lived in genuine poverty for their faith. Into Thy Word Ministries. ), Note: Jesus use of the strong term blasphemy, which was usually reserved for hostile words against God, indicates the slanders wickedness, intensity, and severity.4, 4. Be faithful even if it leads to your physical death. 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Time and time again, wars, massacres, earthquakes, and plagues have threatened to destroy Smyrna, but the city has always bounced back and rebuilt. At first, the emperors did not want anything to do with it, but by the time Domitian became the Roman emperor, he made it mandatory that all citizens would worship the emperor or face death. They made up whatever they could and went to the government and they were persecuted. They just put a rope around his hands. Q. Throughout history, Smyrna has suffered its fair share of hardship. Why does God allow Satan to bring tribulation in our lives if God is ultimately in control? It is believed that a man named Polycarp was the pastor of this church at Smyrna when this letter was written. I will be the first to admit to you that I do not like to suffer. from A.D. c. 100-316; Pergamos (Revelation 2:12-17), 'where Satan dwells' is suggestive of the church mixing with the world . They took him to the amphitheater where the proconsul tried over and over to persuade him to renounce his faith. How does this apply to me? He is talking about that kind of pressure that comes from when you take a heavy rock and you put it on someones chest and you press down on their chest with all your force so that it suffocates the person. 1.4 . It was home to the Greek poet Homer and Polycarp, a personal disciple of the Apostle John and the bishop of the church at Smyrna, known for his faithfulness to Jesus even to martyrdom. 2. What do these verses imply about persecution and the believer? He was faithful until death and he lost his physical life, but he gained so much more which brings us to the fifth reminder to help us suffer well. It is not for you to carry around and have them saying, wow, look at my crown! Your crown is a little small there. Look how many I have. These crowns are not for the purpose of making you feel good about your life on this earth because we are told in Revelation 4:10 that we will go before the throne of God and we will go on our knees and our faces before Him and we will cast our crowns at his feet. How can this give you hope for your church? What is in the way of these precepts affecting me? John addresses the Church in Smyrna. We need to be on guard and we need to commit to pray for the church for the leaders. I had not ever said anything about the Lord to her. 3:12). 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Her debut childrens book, What Is A Family? Toggle Name and characteristics subsection 1.1 Definition. Every time that God has taken me through a difficult period of life, whether it is just a trial or suffering, I can always look back after it is over and go, yes, Lord, I see how You used that in my life. He does not want you to know that he loses. He died for one reason: his unyielding faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. How then can I blaspheme my king and my savior? Well, they threatened to bring out live beasts and he said to bring them on. Go ahead and turn with me to Revelation 2. What Do We Know About the Ancient city of . In fact, it has been said that more Christians have lived in this region than any other Turkish city in the world. What was Jesus message to the church in Smyrna in Revelation? She would take the other student aside and sit down and show her how to do the instruments and explain the physiology behind what we were testing. I would leave every night saying, God, why do I have to go to these events? because I did not feel like I was having a witness. What causes a Christian to become belligerent against Christ and a church to turn on one another, forsaking their call and duty? What Scriptures come to your mind concerning this? A third form of suffering for them was persecution in verse 9. The Essential Inductive Questions (for more Inductive questions see Inductive Bible Study): 1. The people loved the Roman government because it was strong. It was mighty. Revelation 20:14 and Revelation 21:8 tells us that the second death is the lake of fire and brimstone. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. I had no choice. Some people believe that people who are unbelievers will go to hell for a period of time. Anyone who has said I cannot earn salvation on my own so I put my faith in the blood of Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for my sins. Jesus had a reason for mentioning this fact. The question we have to ask ourselves is, are we operating to the opposite tune that Jesus commands as this Synagogue and the church of Smyrna were starting to? Jesus gives them two instructions in verse 10 as to how to handle this impending suffering. Also, death is mentioned three times in these four verses. The 2 nd century Church bishop and . There was coming another form of suffering and that is prison in verse 10: Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for 10 days. That is according to I Corinthians 3:13-14 which talks about that approval, that standing before him, to be evaluated for our works. Be hopeful. Maybe someone in your family is causing you some grief. 105 views, 1 likes, 1 loves, 0 comments, 2 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Buncombe Baptist Church Lexington: Welcome to the home of Intentional. That is how bad I felt. Pt 3. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death. Called: Jude 1-4. Ch 1 Pt 1, Kingdom 104: Where Are the Masculine-Thinking Men? Why would this description of Christ be especially encouraging for this church? The challenge for us is to suffer well. A Russian no" for the rights and freedoms" of the Ukrainian people in the 18th century (1) This article is devoted to the policy of the tsarist authorities against the Ukrainian territories which were part of the Russian Empire in the 18th century. 12. It was probably six weeks. When we refuse to heed His call, it will just be a short time until we are thrown away, given to the devil, since we are working for him anyway. How can you better realize the fact that our trials will be limited and temporary? Why is it that when we seek to run "His" church "our" way, we embarrass and dishonor Him and His Way? Others roasted alive. We Were Created to Inhabit This Earth Part 1, We Were Created to Inhabit This Earth Part 2, Kingdom 102: The Kingdom of God is Relevant, Kingdom 102: Knowing How to Apply the Kingdom Concept, Kingdom 103: He Needs No Assistance in Keeping His Promise, Kingdom 103: Seven Last Days Churches and Their Believers' Characteristics, Kingdom 103: Reconsidering the End Times, Kingdom 104: Misrepresenting the Kingdom Gospel. So with that context in mind, let's take a look at Revelation 2: 8-11. He begins this like He did the last letter and every letter afterward with the words, I know. He knows everything. As believers, we should expect persecution and suffering in this life. When we work our lives and church with our corrupt personal power we are in fact abandoning His power and Fruit. As much as I want to believe that, I do not believe the Bible backs that up. When Jesus introduces Himself as theFirst and the Last, who died and came to life again,He is drawing their attention to the power of His resurrection. Satan does not want believers to study the book of Revelation because he does not want you to know your eternal hope. If not, talk to your small group leader or myself, and we will be glad to answer any questions. (NASB). Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. Read Revelation 2:8-11 (Our focus will be on verse 8 today, but read the entire letter to get an overview.). There are two words used in the New Testament for poverty and one just kind of means poor. It is like Sally and I were saying this morning. 8. I was just going through my mind of what I was going to say. In between were the temples of Apollo, Asklepios, and Aphrodite. Most of us will never die for our faith and I hope we do not. He casts us in the fires of trial in order to refine us and strengthen our character. Be on guard. In Him, we are more than overcomers. The name of Smyrna was equated with myrrh. The second instruction He gives them is to be faithful until death. The use of the strong term, blasphemy, here indicates how evil, how wicked, how intense this slander was. They had no heart for God. I just thought, you have no idea.. What should you do? I went into the bathroom and I sat down and I cried. Not only was this bustling seaport considered a center of prosperity, but the city prided itself as a hub of intellect, art, religion, and athletic prowess. The Cross And Unjust Suffering (1 Peter 2:19-25). I went into her office and I said you know I just wanted to ask you a question. How would you encourage someone who is being persecuted for his faith or going through a tough time? Have you experienced suffering in your life where it was difficult for a time to stand firm? 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What does it mean to be faithful until death? Their poverty was most likely due to their faith in Jesus Christ, just like the Christians in Ephesus that we talked about last week. View property report for 975 Church St Se, Smyrna, GA 30080 on ATTOM's Property Navigator. Physical death is the separation of the soul from the body. That is the doctrine or the view of annihilation of hell. We would go and sit in their homes. When we go through the troubles of life, we can either take shelter in Him or seek to go it alone in our fears and pride. When Polycarp, the pastor of the church in Smyrna, was commanded to worship Caesar and renounce Christ in 155 A.D., he refused and said, Eighty and six years have I served Him, and in nothing hath He wronged me; and how, then, can I blaspheme my King, who saved me? As the fire was kindled around his feet to burn him at the stake, Polycarp was heard singing and praising the Son of God. Scripture does not give us any information concerning the founding of this church, nor is it mentioned in the book of Acts. You are so dependent on this myth and you are crazy. Well, they were under pressure from several forces. Very few of us today know that kind of pressure, but they refused to worship Caesar. You will not worship the Roman emperor, then we will make you! Smyrna, originally peopled by Asiatics known as the Lelages, is located 56 kilometers (35 miles) from Ephesus and 79 kilometers (49 miles) from Pergamos (Pergamon). What does He mean when he refers to their being rich in the midst of poverty? He does not want you to go deeper in Gods Word. What season of life are you in today? Just trust the One who holds your life in His hands. The characteristics of the church as seen in verses 9-10 are its tribulation and poverty and the insidious existence of a synagogue of Satan. This second death means that those who fail to accept Christ will also be resurrected, only to die again in the "lake of fire." If they kill you, they just ended your physical life. They said you make light of that then we will burn you at the stake! The Jews who hated him gathered the wood for the fire. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. - Psalm 37:7. All rights reserved. I was going in the next morning and I was going to tell this lady that she was going to hell and I was going to celebrate that she was going. Then, I got my purse and I drove home. The ultimate reward is life. Do not be afraid. Absolutely nothing is hidden from our all-knowing, all-seeing God. She never came to the Lord, but I thank God for that roommate who kept me from making a huge mistake in my flesh and my anger. The Cross And Separation From The World (1 Peter 4:1-6), 7. Why would this promise be especially encouraging for the church at Smyrna? 9. She went on and on and on about my faith in Jesus Christ. 11. We will suffer in this life. The term may also refer to anyone who sacrifices their life or something of great value for the sake of principle. I have felt it in my life whether it is just things that people say right before I get ready to teach or whether it is something that happens in preparation. But, if we are really serious about going deeper, suffering is part of that process. While there, the Holy Spirit spoke to John and instructed him to record everything Jesus was about to reveal via a vision. Trust me. 5. She prayed and asked God to give me strength to go in the next day and to handle this the way that Jesus would.
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