Where Do You Put Your Faith?

Do you ever stop and consider how truly wealthy you are? Not based on the world's standards of defining wealth, but in God's eyes. You are rich in the things that matter in God's eyes, not in earthly standards or earthly achievements, Jesus reminds us not to lay up for ourselves treasures in this world, which can corrupt or rot, but we are to store up our treasures in heaven instead where nothing can threaten your investment. In order for God to really use us, we need to get our eyes off the fact, that this is money, and view it instead as tools. Some times we will have more tools or less, but they are all used to bring about glory and honor to God, and not we have more money than we know what to do with, we will have grown spiritually. We need to remember not to do that.

"What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul." ~ Matthew 16:26

Poverty means that they once had something, but then lost it all. This doesn't mean that they live from check to check, but this is not the kind of poverty that Jesus was talking about. This was a church that was so poor because they were mocked based on their faith in Jesus, they were considered losers, because they refused to worship Caesar, and they weren't receiving any monetary compensation but instead were ostracized by the people living there. They were rejected and considered outcasts while everyone else around them, had it made.

Philippians 3:8 ~ "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things."

Philippians 4:11-12 ~ "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."

When Jesus told them they were rich, He was telling them that they had invested wisely in eternal things.

2 Corinthians 8:1-2 ~ "And now brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity."

When times of difficulty surround you, you will be able to rejoice. Verse 9.

Revelation 2:9 ~"I know your works while being blasphemed..."

Blasphemia means to vilify, to speak against, to go about slandering another person. To speak evil of another person.

God has a particular hatred for this type of sin, and He judges both the believer and non believer alike.

Matthew 5:10-12 ~ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Have you ever taken a stand for Jesus when it is biblical? How does that work out for you? 

Revelation 2:9 ~ I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan."

Remember the church of Ephesus, there was a warning to them about false apostles. Revelation 2:2 ~ "I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false."

These false apostles came in apostolic succession, that the apostles that Jesus founded, continued on in succession of church hierarchy to this day. "Those who say they are Jews."  These were a powerful group of Jews that came to Smyrna, while they claimed to be Christians. They believed themselves to be a special priesthood that was continuous (imposters). This was a false priestly system that tried to marry an elaborate legalism of Judaism to the simple grace of Christianity.

Revelation 2:6 ~ "But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate."

It means hierarchy, lordship, authoritative rule, a church serving the ministry, rather than the minister serving the church. Jesus said, "I hate that." This impostership has survived, in the merger of apostolic succession and a continuing priesthood. The Mormon church claims this apostolic priesthood. The Roman Catholic church claims this apostolic priesthood. A system of holy ordinances, performances, elaborate requirements, legalistic rights, and church dependence. It's all known as Romanism.

What kind of church are you, when eternity is an ever present reality in your life. Does that sound like you spiritually?

Revelation 2:10-11 ~ "Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let  him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death." 

When eternity is an ever present reality, you'll see Jesus Christ as your shepherd.

Revelation 2:10 ~ "Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer." 

Jesus tells us not to worry. If we go back to verse 9, we can see Jesus is saying, "I know...I have experienced it too!" That is supposed to translate to great peace in our life. We all want it to simply go away. Do you realize that 2 million people have died in the Sudan? Where is the U.N. on that issue? Where is the United States? Where is Europe? The Sudanese Christians are dying at a rate that is unbelievable. 2 million in 10 years, they are the persecuted church today. Churches are being burned with people in them. Locked in churches while bulldozers run over them. They hold onto their faith when that happens. This is real to them. Is Jesus your shepherd today?

Hebrews 4:15-16 ~ "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. "

Jesus feels and has felt everything you and I feel.

When eternity is an every present reality, you'll see Satan the devil as a tool in the hand of God.

Revelation 2:10 ~ " I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days."

He is a defeated enemy. God's got Satan right now under control. God uses everything he is doing, to bring about His will on the earth. No one knows what the precise meaning of the words "ten days." Jesus uses it specifically, because He is in reality. Some will suffer ten days. One day is like a thousand years to Jesus. When you keep your eyes on Jesus, time won't matter. It will pass. Jesus is basically saying, "I'm on it. That you might be tested, I'm on it." Remember Peter's sifting? You know that when you are enduring anything related to trials, time just seems to drag on by, but Jesus says, "I'm on it.!"

When eternity is an ever present reality, you'll see heaven, eternity as your next home.

Revelation 2:11 ~ " Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life."

First He wanted to close leaving them with a key thought, "I will give you the crown of life." Remember the citizens of Smyrna considered their city to be the crown of life. Jesus was reminding them they didn't belong here any longer. They had a new citizenship that could never be conquered. A crown that would be everlasting. Jesus mocks them, He says, "I will give you the crown of life." There is nothing God can't do!

The emperor isn't it. The city isn't it. The system wasn't it.

Let's look at the things that God promises to those that trust in Him.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ~ "Therefore do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

The Roman crown of victory was everyone to the Roman, but not to the Christian. What can I say to you, who are suffering? What can I say to you, who are about to suffer? I have one word. Bible. If the people who attend any church, gathered together to help you through your suffering, do you realize they couldn't do enough? To understand that if you had all the money in the world, that that money could not buy your health.

It is the Bible. It is His Word.

It was good enough for the church of Symrna. It was good enough for the apostle Paul. It was good enough for Mary. It was good enough for Jeremiah. It was good enough for Noah. It was good enough for John the Baptist. It was good enough for George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. It was good enough for the succession of Christians throughout the ages.

When suffering reaches the maximum, it is then, at those moments when the deepest of Christ's nature is translated into the life of His follower, until we are standing before Him in perfect peace.

Revelation 2:11 ~ "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let  him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death." 

The second death is the worst of all. A Christ-less hell forever.

Without God. His blessings, His goodness, His mercies.

Among the apostle Paul's last recorded words are 2 Timothy 4:8 ~ "Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

Don't be afraid. To get you through your altar of difficulty and it leads you to death, He has engineered this moment of trial. He will be with you through it all, He will hold your hand, He will not leave your or forsake you. Remember He has died and came back to life, and if you believe in me, so shall you! Ever human being will die at least one time, unless the rapture happens. You are going to die! It's going to happen. Taxes and death! We will eventually die. If you are a Christian, you will only die once, in this world and live forever more with God in heaven. When He speaks of spiritual death, that is coming to those who don't believe in Jesus. When they are escorted upon their death straight to hell. To be born once, you die twice. If you are born twice, you die once.

Are you born again? Have you been born a second time? That is the greatest question right now! Jesus will be with you if you put your faith in Him.

Let's pray before we leave today.

Father, today Lord as we are here, I ask you Lord God to move across this body right now, and Father that You would minister to us, your comfort, your strength, your truth to all of us that are your children. And the beautiful thing is Lord, that You will do that, no matter where we find ourselves today. But Father, today for those who do not know you as Lord and Savior, I ask you Father that You would come upon them right now, and Lord only You can do this, that You would so speak to them, that they Lord God, would know these verses, these words and considerations are true from Your throne, and that You can be known personally. 

Would you consider Jesus Christ? He died on the cross to forgive you of your sins, but the problem is that you are still holding your sins, you're in trouble by the way for them, but Jesus is saying, "Give me your sin. I died for those sins on the cross." You have to give those sins to Him. You have to tell Him, "Lord, I give you my sinful life, and then Lord, I want You to be with me in this life, to save me, to watch over me, to keep me."

If this is your decision today, and you agree with this prayer, you want to know if you died today, you want to go to heaven, you don't need to worry about it anymore. You've heard about Jesus, you might even have a cross around your neck, but you have no assurance if you died today, you'd go to heaven. That can change right now. I'm going to lead you in a prayer right now, and if you mean it, God will hear you. In a moment you will leave this religious experience and enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, which is far better. Right now, the Lord has engineered this day for you, repeat this as you read it as you mean it,

Dear Lord Jesus, 

Forgive me of my sins, write my name in Your book of Life. I give You my life, I ask You to save me now, and give me Your Holy Spirit, that I might live for You, thank You for dying for me on the cross, in Jesus Name I pray, AMEN!!!

You are now a wonderful believer in Jesus Christ right now, and if you died today, you would be with Jesus in Heaven today! You have that blessed assurance that when this life ends, your eternal life begins.

God loves you so much that all that stuff that has happened in your life, He has brought about for this moment, to bring you to Him, through making your way here today. From this moment on, now, decide to follow Jesus.

The Persecuted Church of Smyrna

For those of you that have been following this study into the Book of Revelation, we are beginning the study into the Seven Letters to the Churches and what we have discovered is not only were these personal letters from Jesus to the heads or pastors of each of these real churches in Asia Minor, but they also address our own spiritual natures as believers and in the churches today. If you look at each of these letters, they address a spiritual state in which we all fall into. The study has been into which of these churches are you most like. In the last three studies, we addressed the church of Ephesus and today, we begin our study into the church of Smyrna, the second church mentioned in Revelation. The point you should be considering as you enter each of these sessions is how is your spiritual life in comparison to these churches mentioned in Revelation. Which one in 100% honesty can you relate to in your spiritual walk as a believer in Jesus? The results might just be eye opening.

Revelation 2:8-11 ~ "To the angel of the church of Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty - yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who are say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you eill suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has a ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death." (NIV). 

Notice that this is the shortest of the seven messages that Jesus gave to these churches. It is also interesting to note that He offered no criticism to them as well. He simply encouraged and commended them in this letter. We already know that the church of Smyrna was an actual church in Asia Minor which today is in Izmir in modern day Turkey and boasts a population of 300,000. At this time Smyrna, along with the church of Ephesus was a center of paganism and false worship. It was a city that had been leveled by wars but was rebuilt by one of the generals Lycemicus, who had served Alexander the Great. He restored it so much that the citizens there proclaimed that it had died but has come to life again. It was considered one of the most beautiful cities in all of Asia Minor. It was built along the Mediterranean Sea and as you continued into the city, it was elevated as it progressed inland and upward almost like a crown of sorts to Mount Pagus. On top of this mountaintop, there were various painted white structures dedicated to their pagan gods. They called it the "crown of life." They believed there wasn't a god that you couldn't find life in. It was also the birthplace of Homer. 

In fact, Smyrna was known for their loyalty to Rome and was known as well for their worship of Caesar. It was almost like a competition in the occupied cities to see who would have the right to build a special temple to Caesar and in this case, Smyrna won! They were known for the worship of the emperor and for declaring that "Caesar is Lord." There were streets lined with golden temples to the gods of Sibyl, the gods Apollo and Zeus.

Yet not all the citizens worshiped Caesar and the believers in Smyrna refused to acknowledge that "Caesar is LORD." and would not say it as well. Instead they said, "Jesus is Lord." This caused a division in that city with its countercultural messages that offended each group. It was definitely a tough place to be if you were a Christian, for if you took a stand for Christ, there was a price to be paid.

When Jesus said in verse 9, "I know your afflictions and your poverty, yet you are rich!" Why were they experiencing poverty in such a prosperous place? It was because of their willingness to stand for Jesus. If you were a Christian business owner and they found out that you were worshiping Jesus instead of Caesar, they would take their business some place else. It was not unlike what happened to the Jews during the rise of Hitler in Germany. It began when people refused to do business with Jewish-owned businesses. Then when the Gestapo came in and wrote Jew on the windows of the business in an effort to keep people away from doing business with them, it further ostracized the Jewish people. They were forced to wear yellow armbands, identifying them as enemies of the state. Before long, however, the business were vandalized and burned down, and then the Jews were rounded up and sent to concentration camps.

This was exactly what the atmosphere was like in Smyrna. If people discovered you were a believer, they would say, "We don't want to do business with you and we are reporting you to the authorities." As a result, in the Christian communities, poverty descended in the middle of the cities population.

The believers in the city were also slandered. Jesus reminds us that in verse 9, "I know the slander of those who are say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan." The church was not only under the persecution of the Romans who wanted them to worship Caesar, but they were also being harassed by the Jews who were not fellow shipping with God. Jesus called them a "synagogue of Satan."

Lies were being spread about believers. The blasphemy that Jesus spoke about wasn't as much about God as it was about God's people. It may be a small comfort in the heat of the moment, but when someone is forced to make up lies about you because they can't find any inconsistencies in your life, rejoice and realize that is a wonderful thing. In this passage, Jesus commends the church who is being lied about, to "be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." ~ Revelation 2:10.

Jesus wasn't giving them happy news about their future on earth. He wasn't telling them to stay positive, He told them to stay faithful. Why? Because He knew that despite what they were going through it was going to get worse, much much worse. And it did. The believers of Smyrna, as well as many Christian throughout Rome suffered greatly for their faith. Thousands upon thousands of men, women and children were put to death simply because they would not say, "Caesar is Lord." Roman historian Tacitus wrote about what happened to some of them.

"Besides being put to death they were made to serve as objects of amusement; they were covered with wild beast skins and torn to death by dogs. Some were crucified, others set on fire to illuminate the night when daylight failed...Or tied to stakes in Nero's garden while he drove around in his chariot...gloating over the dying agony of his victims." They were taken to the Colosseum and put on display for entertainment with lions and other animals. Often they were 'quartered' which means their hands and feet were tied to horses and they were pulled apart. 

Imagine how horrible it was to watch this. The emperor Nero began to tyrannize the church of Jesus Christ, but the persecution actually intensified under Diocletian. We know it didn't work out well for Rome either. The citizens of Rome were extremely loyal and patriotic, and if you didn't worship Caesar as Lord, you were considered a traitor, crazy, an outcast, insane or a freak.

Sound familiar in today's world? How do we comfort someone? Some people avoid them, they shut down, go into denial because they don't know what to say or do. Realize this, that if you are a Christian, you will face suffering in your life, at your job, in your family and in your home. Not a hangnail mind you or your computer crashing, it's when a situation occurs and you cry out to God, "God, Why Me?" Suffering is not based on a lack of faith. God does a work in our life, that forever changes us, but God also promises us that He'll never leave us or forsake us.

God engineers those difficulties in our life - our suffering is not what is important to God however, it is what we get out of it that matters to God.

We are like ostriches, saying it's not going to happen to me! When it's scared, it plunges its head into the sand. People often live their lives in fear of what may come. They feel if they live on the defensive, they will be prepared when it does happen. We can be so caught up in the potential fear of what may happen, that they panic, they worry and in a sense, have stuck their head in the sand, and hope it doesn't happen. Does this ever work?

In 2002, an estimated 361,000 Christians have died by persecutors, 81% by Muslim extremists, simply for their faith in Jesus Christ and it is only increasing. You can find these statistics found on Voice of the Martyrs or Open Doors Ministries.  Most of them are being killed and martyred are in the African countries or the Deep South Pacific islands.  30,000 people died under the hands of Joseph Stalin. Some were Jews and most of them were Christians. The church is under a great suffering like never before. Did you notice the the word Smyrna is a derivative of the word myrrh an embalming oil, medicine or perfume which means crushing, or suffering, because you have to crush it to release the oil and thus made it costly and desirable. It played a part in Jesus' life. The wise men brought Him myrrh, when they went to see him in Bethlehem. It is interesting to note that they offered him gold, frankincense and myrrh, speaking to His deity, his suffering and the fact that He would die. In Isaiah 60:6 however, speaking of Jesus' millennial reign, they bring gold and incense but no myrrh, because He will never die again.

So Smyrna is the church of Suffering.  Suffering is a mysterious thing to endure. Suffering does have to take a physical toil on us, it can simply be the fear of what might happen, that keeps from moving forward. They are tormented by the fear of suffering.

What is even worse is that there are so called ministries, that pronounce a curse on anyone going through a difficult time financially or perhaps someone is sick or being ill-treated. That somehow God has abandoned those who are going through a period of suffering. Yet we know that the opposite is true based on the promises found in the Bible, that Jesus NEVER leaves us or forsakes us in the midst of our sufferings. It is at that point when you feel crushed that Jesus promises, My grace is sufficient for you, My strength in you will now be made complete. It is in the life of those suffering, that Jesus presents Himself in very tender ways, to comfort us and to bring us hope and assurance.

What we are going to see in this letter to the church of Smyrna is how Jesus ministers to those in trouble. This is His own personal approach to comforting those who are in trouble and are suffering. These are 4 very powerful verses packed with a message to comfort the persecuted church, and until you are facing that type of trouble, you will never know the true power of His words. Remember one thing, when you live in a hostile environment, you can still be a peaceful Christian or Christian church. Everything Jesus says here applies to a church that is suffering.

Revelation 2:8 ~ "These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again."

1. I am the First and the Last. Why is that important? Because those in the Roman Empire in Symrna believed this, it was the slogan of the Roman Empire. They were the first and the last. It would be all over billboards in the city of Smyrna, they believed they were the final word in the empire. It begins here with Caesar worship and it will end here with Caesar worship. We will last forever. If you worship in Smyrna, you will have eternal life. We are the ones! If you worship in Smyrna, you will never die.

Jesus is saying, "I'll tell you what, they are NOT the first and the last. I AM the First and the Last. He tells it to a church that is suffering and under pressure. What if our local governments were to say, "No more church, no more meetings," and then persecution would come against us. What would you do? You would be comforted by the words of God. You might have church on Sunday mornings, but you will still have church in your home on Sunday mornings right? You would gather together as a family with the Bible and be comforted by the Words you find in the Bible. We've all had to experience this during our 2020 pandemic when going to church was not possible. Most of us, simply streamed our services live from the internet, but what about those who didn't have access to the internet. We, sometimes, fail to see that not everyone has the simple things we take for granted everyday. I am convinced, they still picked up the Bible and continued to study the Word of God, no matter what was going on in the world. It's where we get our sense of strength.

Jesus is saying to a persecuted church, "I am the First and the Last. I am the peace you are looking for. Cities may come and go, but I will never go."

Did you realize that America is on the threshold of disappearing. You know that most nations only last around 200 years and we could be gone any day now.

John 14:27 ~ "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

John 16:33 ~ "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Any church that understands that Jesus is in charge, will be a church at peace. He is on the throne and He is our provider. He is eternal! He is the only one who is eternal!

The History of the Church of Smyrna - Part 15

For those of you that have been following this study into the Book of Revelation, we are beginning the study into the Seven Letters to the Churches and what we have discovered is not only were these personal letters from Jesus to the heads or pastors of each of these real churches in Asia Minor, but they also address our own spiritual natures as believers and in the churches today. If you look at each of these letters, they address a spiritual state in which we all fall into. The study has been into which of these churches are you most like. In the last three studies, we addressed the church of Ephesus and today, we begin our study into the church of Smyrna, the second church mentioned in Revelation. The point you should be considering as you enter each of these sessions is how is your spiritual life in comparison to these churches mentioned in Revelation. Which one in 100% honesty can you relate to in your spiritual walk as a believer in Jesus? The results might just be eye opening.

Revelation 2:8-11 ~ "To the angel of the church of Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty - yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who are say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you eill suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has a ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death." (NIV). 

Notice that this is the shortest of the seven messages that Jesus gave to these churches. It is also interesting to note that He offered no criticism to them as well. He simply encouraged and commended them in this letter. We already know that the church of Smyrna was an actual church in Asia Minor which today is in Izmir in modern day Turkey and boasts a population of 300,000. At this time Smyrna, along with the church of Ephesus was a center of paganism and false worship. It was a city that had been leveled by wars but was rebuilt by one of the generals Lycemicus, who had served Alexander the Great. He restored it so much that the citizens there proclaimed that it had died but has come to life again. It was considered one of the most beautiful cities in all of Asia Minor. It was built along the Mediterranean Sea and as you continued into the city, it was elevated as it progressed inland and upward almost like a crown of sorts to Mount Pagus. On top of this mountaintop, there were various painted white structures dedicated to their pagan gods. They called it the "crown of life." They believed there wasn't a god that you couldn't find life in. It was also the birthplace of Homer. 

In fact, Smyrna was known for their loyalty to Rome and was known as well for their worship of Caesar. It was almost like a competition in the occupied cities to see who would have the right to build a special temple to Caesar and in this case, Smyrna won! They were known for the worship of the emperor and for declaring that "Caesar is Lord." There were streets lined with golden temples to the gods of Sibyl, the gods Apollo and Zeus.

Yet not all the citizens worshiped Caesar and the believers in Smyrna refused to acknowledge that "Caesar is LORD." and would not say it as well. Instead they said, "Jesus is Lord." This caused a division in that city with its countercultural messages that offended each group. It was definitely a tough place to be if you were a Christian, for if you took a stand for Christ, there was a price to be paid.

When Jesus said in verse 9, "I know your afflictions and your poverty, yet you are rich!" Why were they experiencing poverty in such a prosperous place? It was because of their willingness to stand for Jesus. If you were a Christian business owner and they found out that you were worshiping Jesus instead of Caesar, they would take their business some place else. It was not unlike what happened to the Jews during the rise of Hitler in Germany. It began when people refused to do business with Jewish-owned businesses. Then when the Gestapo came in and wrote Jew on the windows of the business in an effort to keep people away from doing business with them, it further ostracized the Jewish people. They were forced to wear yellow armbands, identifying them as enemies of the state. Before long, however, the business were vandalized and burned down, and then the Jews were rounded up and sent to concentration camps.

This was exactly what the atmosphere was like in Smyrna. If people discovered you were a believer, they would say, "We don't want to do business with you and we are reporting you to the authorities." As a result, in the Christian communities, poverty descended in the middle of the cities population.

The believers in the city were also slandered. Jesus reminds us that in verse 9, "I know the slander of those who are say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan." The church was not only under the persecution of the Romans who wanted them to worship Caesar, but they were also being harassed by the Jews who were not fellow shipping with God. Jesus called them a "synagogue of Satan."

Lies were being spread about believers. The blasphemy that Jesus spoke about wasn't as much about God as it was about God's people. It may be a small comfort in the heat of the moment, but when someone is forced to make up lies about you because they can't find any inconsistencies in your life, rejoice and realize that is a wonderful thing. In this passage, Jesus commends the church who is being lied about, to "be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." ~ Revelation 2:10.

Jesus wasn't giving them happy news about their future on earth. He wasn't telling them to stay positive, He told them to stay faithful. Why? Because He knew that despite what they were going through it was going to get worse, much much worse. And it did. The believers of Smyrna, as well as many Christian throughout Rome suffered greatly for their faith. Thousands upon thousands of men, women and children were put to death simply because they would not say, "Caesar is Lord." Roman historian Tacitus wrote about what happened to some of them.

"Besides being put to death they were made to serve as objects of amusement; they were covered with wild beast skins and torn to death by dogs. Some were crucified, others set on fire to illuminate the night when daylight failed...Or tied to stakes in Nero's garden while he drove around in his chariot...gloating over the dying agony of his victims." They were taken to the Colosseum and put on display for entertainment with lions and other animals. Often they were 'quartered' which means their hands and feet were tied to horses and they were pulled apart. 

Imagine how horrible it was to watch this. The emperor Nero began to tyrannize the church of Jesus Christ, but the persecution actually intensified under Diocletian. We know it didn't work out well for Rome either. The citizens of Rome were extremely loyal and patriotic, and if you didn't worship Caesar as Lord, you were considered a traitor, crazy, an outcast, insane or a freak.

Sound familiar in today's world? How do we comfort someone? Some people avoid them, they shut down, go into denial because they don't know what to say or do. Realize this, that if you are a Christian, you will face suffering in your life, at your job, in your family and in your home. Not a hangnail mind you or your computer crashing, it's when a situation occurs and you cry out to God, "God, Why Me?" Suffering is not based on a lack of faith. God does a work in our life, that forever changes us, but God also promises us that He'll never leave us or forsake us.

God engineers those difficulties in our life - our suffering is not what is important to God however, it is what we get out of it that matters to God.

We are like ostriches, saying it's not going to happen to me! When it's scared, it plunges its head into the sand. People often live their lives in fear of what may come. They feel if they live on the defensive, they will be prepared when it does happen. We can be so caught up in the potential fear of what may happen, that they panic, they worry and in a sense, have stuck their head in the sand, and hope it doesn't happen. Does this ever work?

In 2002, an estimated 361,000 Christians have died by persecutors, 81% by Muslim extremists, simply for their faith in Jesus Christ and it is only increasing. You can find these statistics found on Voice of the Martyrs or Open Doors Ministries.  Most of them are being killed and martyred are in the African countries or the Deep South Pacific islands.  30,000 people died under the hands of Joseph Stalin. Some were Jews and most of them were Christians. The church is under a great suffering like never before. Did you notice the the word Smyrna is a derivative of the word myrrh an embalming oil, medicine or perfume which means crushing, or suffering, because you have to crush it to release the oil and thus made it costly and desirable. It played a part in Jesus' life. The wise men brought Him myrrh, when they went to see him in Bethlehem. It is interesting to note that they offered him gold, frankincense and myrrh, speaking to His deity, his suffering and the fact that He would die. In Isaiah 60:6 however, speaking of Jesus' millennial reign, they bring gold and incense but no myrrh, because He will never die again.

So Smyrna is the church of Suffering.  Suffering is a mysterious thing to endure. Suffering does have to take a physical toil on us, it can simply be the fear of what might happen, that keeps from moving forward. They are tormented by the fear of suffering.

What is even worse is that there are so called ministries, that pronounce a curse on anyone going through a difficult time financially or perhaps someone is sick or being ill-treated. That somehow God has abandoned those who are going through a period of suffering. Yet we know that the opposite is true based on the promises found in the Bible, that Jesus NEVER leaves us or forsakes us in the midst of our sufferings. It is at that point when you feel crushed that Jesus promises, My grace is sufficient for you, My strength in you will now be made complete. It is in the life of those suffering, that Jesus presents Himself in very tender ways, to comfort us and to bring us hope and assurance.

What we are going to see in this letter to the church of Smyrna is how Jesus ministers to those in trouble. This is His own personal approach to comforting those who are in trouble and are suffering. These are 4 very powerful verses packed with a message to comfort the persecuted church, and until you are facing that type of trouble, you will never know the true power of His words. Remember one thing, when you live in a hostile environment, you can still be a peaceful Christian or Christian church. Everything Jesus says here applies to a church that is suffering.

Revelation 2:8 ~ "These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again."

1. I am the First and the Last. Why is that important? Because those in the Roman Empire in Symrna believed this, it was the slogan of the Roman Empire. They were the first and the last. It would be all over billboards in the city of Smyrna, they believed they were the final word in the empire. It begins here with Caesar worship and it will end here with Caesar worship. We will last forever. If you worship in Smyrna, you will have eternal life. We are the ones! If you worship in Smyrna, you will never die.

Jesus is saying, "I'll tell you what, they are NOT the first and the last. I AM the First and the Last. He tells it to a church that is suffering and under pressure. What if our local governments were to say, "No more church, no more meetings," and then persecution would come against us. What would you do? You would be comforted by the words of God. You might have church on Sunday mornings, but you will still have church in your home on Sunday mornings right? You would gather together as a family with the Bible and be comforted by the Words you find in the Bible. We've all had to experience this during our 2020 pandemic when going to church was not possible. Most of us, simply streamed our services live from the internet, but what about those who didn't have access to the internet. We, sometimes, fail to see that not everyone has the simple things we take for granted everyday. I am convinced, they still picked up the Bible and continued to study the Word of God, no matter what was going on in the world. It's where we get our sense of strength.

Jesus is saying to a persecuted church, "I am the First and the Last. I am the peace you are looking for. Cities may come and go, but I will never go."

Did you realize that America is on the threshold of disappearing. You know that most nations only last around 200 years and we could be gone any day now.

John 14:27 ~ "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

John 16:33 ~ "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Any church that understands that Jesus is in charge, will be a church at peace. He is on the throne and He is our provider. He is eternal! He is the only one who is eternal!